How ‘Next Michael Jordan’ tag destroyed NBA careers revealed by ex-All Star

Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas did not hold back against NBA superstar Michael Jordan in recent segment of the NBA on ESPN show.

How ‘Next Michael Jordan’ tag destroyed NBA careers revealed by ex-All Star

Gilbert Arenas and Michael Jordan

NBA superstar Michael Jordan left an underlying impact on the sport of basketball. In addition, his career in the NBA was one of a kind. A career that only other basketball professionals could dream of. Notably, it’s been years since Jordan retired, and to this day, the talk of the ‘next Jordan’ always comes up amongst young players in the NBA. However, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas is not a fan of this.

“Air/Heir Apparent” is a concept that has been around for a very long time. Even back when Jordan was playing in the NBA. It was the late Kobe Bryant, Harold Miner, and Penny Hardaway. The “next MJs” were all of them. However, nobody could fill the shoes of the former Chicago Bulls superstar. Interestingly, Arenas made a case on the NBA on ESPN show regarding ‘the next Jordan.’

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The worst thing to be called is the next Michael Jordan. It’s a career ruiner.

Gilbert Arenas said

Arenas’ words come from his own past experiences. In the 2000s, he was a fantastic point guard. He had a lethal three-point shooting ability and was a fantastic penetrator in the pain, making him the archetype for the modern scoring guard. He was tipped as the ‘next Michael Jordan.’ However, the pressure took a toll on him.

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Arenas’ body succumbed to injuries, which ended his NBA career earlier than expected. Presently, such is the case with the recent NBA stars. For example, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards was getting ‘the next MJ’ shouts last season. This season, Edwards has not been up to the standards, making Arenas’ case right.

Not the first time Gilbert Arenas targeted Michael Jordan

Via social media, Anthony Edwards‘ game contrasted with Michael Jordan’s. Edwards seemed to be taking that personally as well. According to rumors, Edwards recently called Jordan to seek advice on how to deal with double teams. Gilbert Arenas was not pleased with this, though. He slashed Edwards on his self-titled podcast.

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What year are we in? What year was Michael Jordan getting doubled? So the double teams that MJ was seeing with the illegal defense rules wouldn’t even apply here. Like the concept, I get it, just getting doubled, ‘What do you do?’

Gilbert Arenas said on the Gil’s Arena podcast

Per Arenas, MJ was subject to different regulations in the 1980s and 1990s than he is now. Arenas also talked about how Ant’s and MJ’s different playing styles put them up against different double teams. Therefore, it would be preferable if Edwards asked someone who has dealt with such issues in the modern day for advice.