"Makes black men as fathers look bad": NBA fans flame Gilbert Arenas for criticizing Rudy Gobert missing Game 2 citing baby's birth

Gilbert Arenas made his unpopular opinion heard after Rudy Gobert decided to miss Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs Western Conference semis against the Denver Nuggets. Gobert missed the game, citing his firstborn's birth. While the NBA world commended the Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Arenas opposed that choice and mocked the Timberwolves center.

“It’s a baby bro, it’s gonna be there when you get back," Arenas said on Gill's Arena show.

Gilbert Arenas' podcast co-hosts Josiah Johnson, Brandon Jennings, Kenyon Martin and Rashad McCants seemingly had no issues with the former All-Star's opinion. Jennings even joined Arenas' jokes about Rudy Gobert's decision.

That clearly wasn't the sentiment NBA fans rolled with. As Arenas' video went viral from the show, NBA Twitter expressed dissatisfaction with "Agent Zero," calling him out for being insensitive about the matter.

@jsoulstl23 on "X" raised a sensitive issue about Arenas fuelling stereotypes with his take:

"I dislike dudes like this. Dudes like this lowkey dislike their kids and makes black men as fathers look bad in a way in reality."

@CookedByRiley0 expressed being fed up with Arenas' opinions shared via his platform:

"Take the mic away from him please I’m so tired of hearing him talk."

@Phxlly brought up one of Arenas' biggest lowlights of his career relating to the locker room incident with a gun:

"Do not take advice from the dude who brought a gun in the locker room."

@BB_Bundy sarcastically called out Arenas' parenting:

"Gilbert sounds like a great father."

More reactions followed with popular NBA memes:

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Timberwolves produce defensive clinic in Rudy Gobert's absence

Rudy Gobert opting to spend time with his family during a crucial playoff game didn't have much impact on the Timberwolves. They entered the game as the underdogs and led by as many as 32 points before winning 106-80.

The Timberwolves produced a defensive clinic in Gobert's absence, holding the Nuggets to a franchise-record 35 points in the first half.

Not much changed for the Timberwolves defensively in Gobert's absence, as they continued using their size and depth to limit Nikola Jokic's impact. Kyle Anderson put in an excellent shift in Gobert's absence, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid continued executing their roles as required to get the job done.

Jokic had 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Moreover, the Timberwolves perimeter defense also showed out, holding Jamal Murray to eight points on 3-of-18 shooting. Gobert wasn't on the floor, but his defensive impact has rubbed off on the rest of the group this season.

The Timberwolves finished the year with a 108.4 defensive rating, the best in the NBA, courtesy of Rudy Gobert anchoring the team on that end. It's also one of the key reasons they are up 2-0 against the defending champs and unbeaten in the playoffs after sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the first round.