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11-Year NBA Veteran Brutally Slams Los Angeles Lakers

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas thrashed the current state of the Los Angeles Lakers
Jan 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA;  Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) and forward LeBron James (23) talk on the court against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Jan 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) and forward LeBron James (23) talk on the court against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

For the past few seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers have not been the dominant franchise that many are accustomed to.

The team had one Western Conference Finals run in the 2023 NBA season, but they came off of being in the Play-In tournament numerous times. Last season, the Lakers lost in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in five games, and it doesn't seem like they'll fair any better this season. For that reason, former Grizzlies guard and NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas has lost complete faith in them.

During an episode of The Gil's Arena Show, the former 3x NBA All-Star absolutely bashed the team, calling them bottom shelf.

"We are bottom shelf," Arenas said. "We just got a good name on our product. We got LeBron James, but he's 40. The name LeBron James is confusing. Our 40-year-old is the best player, that kind of lets you know how f***ed we are... The 40-year-old should be the third option."

For as much as the Lakers have struggled this season, they're still the sixth seed with an overall record of 23-18. They're only four games out of the third-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference.

As far away as that sounds, it comes down to one winning streak and one losing streak on each side. However, with the expectations of being the Lakers, a consistent six or seventh-seed placement just isn't good enough. That's the harsh reality when it comes to being a member of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise.

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Published
Farbod Esnaashari
FARBOD ESNAASHARI

14-Year NBA Veteran covering multiple teams on Sports Illustrated. Throughout the years, Farbod has been featured on ESPN, Bleacher Report, Forbes, and various live television outlets.

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