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Gilbert Arenas mocked the LA Lakers' role players following their poor shooting night from beyond the arc against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. Arenas hilariously offered to attend an open tryout for LeBron James and the Lakers while showing off his shooting touch.
The Lakers were blown out by the Pelicans 129-109 in their final game of 2023. They shot well from the field overall at 47.6% but flunked from beyond at arc. They went 10-for-31, which was decisive, as New Orleans shot 17-for-34 at an efficient 50.0% clip.
Arenas, who has shown support for "The King" over the years, trolled the Lakers for not surrounding their best player with shooters. He posted the video below offering to "rent" his arm to the struggling franchise.
"@kingjames When is Open Tryouts? I got ya KING. Tell #Prince #Cam #Van I'll Rent them my Arm for the season. It's a SUPER MAX ARM."
Gilbert Arenas called out Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Jarred Vanderbilt, who are getting heavy minutes alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the starting lineup. Some fans are even calling for Austin Reaves' return as a starter after the loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Prince is shooting well from beyond the arc this season, at 40.1%, but is getting criticized for not making it when it matters. Reddish, meanwhile, is struggling at 29.7% and should not be taking them when unnecessary.
As for Vanderbilt, he's 1-for-14 from the 3-point area this season and is not known for his shooting. With a record of 17-17 heading into 2024, coach Darvin Ham needs to figure out the rotation to maximize James and Davis' minutes.
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Gilbert Arenas tried out for the Lakers before the 2011-12 season
Gilbert Arenas was never the same player after a couple of knee injuries, and his career went down the train after his gun controversy. Arenas would try to salvage his career with the Orlando Magic but was eventually the first player to be waived using the amnesty clause after the 2010-11 season.
In an episode of his "No Chill" podcast in August, Arenas shared that he tried out for the LA Lakers in the summer of 2011. It went well, and he still had his shooting touch but was afraid of the Los Angeles media and the scrutiny that comes from being teammates with Kobe Bryant.
"So I'm sitting here talking myself out of the LA job," Arenas said. "Because I was scared of the media. Am I the same person Kobe thinks he's getting? I don't wanna deal with that. I'll go to Memphis."
