Gilbert Arenas Makes Xenophobic Remarks on South Sudan After Team USA Narrowly Escapes Defeat: ‘We Almost Lost to the Ahi Ahi Tribe’
Gilbert Arenas recently made xenophobic remarks on the South Sudan team after the team USA nearly escaped a surprising defeat against the East African country. Read more!
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The USA team has been a top pick for fans in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which comes as no shock. What did come as a surprise, though, was the close call the American team had against South Sudan.
The team from East Africa, emerging from a troubled state, nearly caused NBA fans to worry about a tough defeat. Adding to the unexpected events, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas made xenophobic remarks about the South Sudan team.
Gilbert Arenas made xenophobic comments on South Sudan
Unfortunately, luck did not favor the Sudanese as they fell just one point short to the star-studded USA men's team, losing 101-100. With LeBron James scoring the most points, their win was almost guaranteed.
However, it was Gilbert Arenas who made unexpected and derogatory remarks about the Africans. The three-time NBA All-Star was recently seen making these comments in a surfaced clip. Arenas said, "We got the males almost lost to some Africans... and the king (LeBron) had to save us. I know that LeBron haters are mad. We almost lost to the Ahi Ahi tribe. This is crazy."
Xenophobic comments from Gilbert Arenas on South Sudan's loss to USA
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It came as a really shocking moment for the basketball community to hear the 2001 second-round NBA Draft pick speak ill of a country that has endured a rigorous decade-long civil war and is counted among the world’s poorest countries.
If not open-hearted praise for the already struggling team, at least some sentiment is expected from a player like Gilbert Arenas, who has made good money playing in the league.
But Arenas did not stop at the tribal disgrace he put out. He further said, "They get their shoes from America. We gotta ship them shoes. They only have basketball rims, dawg. Manute Bol, I seen he had to walk... what, an hour and a half to go shoot basketball. We lose it to people who don't even... they got baskets in the back. They shooting on f**king peach baskets in the dirt, no shoes."
Gilbert Arenas earlier made xenophobic comments on Europeans
Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas made controversial and xenophobic comments regarding European players during an episode of his show, Gil’s Arena, a couple of months back.
In a discussion about balancing defensive intensity in the NBA, Arenas suggested that the league should "get rid of all Europeans." The remark was initially met with laughter by his guests, including former NBA All-Star Kenyon Martin, indicating a troubling lack of sensitivity to the issue.
Arenas went on to assert that European players lack athleticism, speed, and defensive ability, singling out only a couple of European players as exceptions. However, his comments fail to acknowledge the significant contributions of numerous European players to the defensive aspects of the game.
During the episode, Arenas said, “You go to college to learn defense. What college do Europeans go to? They have no athleticism. They have no speed, no jumping ability. They are a liability on defense. There are 150 Euros in the league today… name the top defenders. None! Just Rudy [Gobert] and the Greek Freak. Other than that, they are offensive players. They aren’t defensive players, right?”
Many European players have honed their skills through years of competitive play in continental and domestic leagues, facing tough defensive challenges and gaining valuable experience against top-tier competition.
Arenas' comments reflect a narrow and uninformed perspective on the capabilities of European players, disregarding the hard work, talent, and defensive prowess that numerous athletes from Europe have brought to the NBA.
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