Why Arenas doesn’t believe Steph deserved Olympics MVP over LeBron

Gilbert Arenas has weighed in on whether or not Steph Curry deserved to be named Olympics MVP over LeBron James.

And, in an unsurprising fashion, the former NBA guard alluded that the Warriors superstar was undeserving of such recognition following Team USA’s 98-87 gold-medal victory over France on the latest episode of the “Gil’s Arena” podcast.

“This wasn’t an American committee who voted,” Arenas declared. “So this has no bias on it.”

Prior to the United States’ fi

“This wasn’t an American committee who voted. This has no bias on it… You’re trying to take a 2-minute moment and pretend that it happened the whole [Olympic games]?”

Gilbert Arenas on Steph Curry not winning Olympic MVP 🗣️

(via @GilsArenaShow)pic.twitter.com/cK2qkGQbQi

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 14, 2024

nal two games of the tournament, the general consensus was that James posed as the undisputed MVP of Team USA.

That quickly changed after Curry delivered emphatic back-to-back performances for the United States: a 36-point showing against Serbia in the semifinal and an iconic, game-defining 24-point game against hosts France in the final.

Despite Curry catching fire late, James earned the Olympics MVP award after averaging 14.2 points on 66-percent shooting from the field, adding 6.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists, opening a series of debates on who deserved to win the award.

Arenas, specifically, critiqued Curry’s overall production from the tournament’s start to finish in one of the many Olympics MVP debates.

“You’re trying to take a two-minute moment and pretend that it happened the whole Olympic games,” Arenas added.

Unlike LeBron, who was Team USA’s most consistent throughout the six bouts, Curry struggled in the first few games of the tournament, including a three-point performance against South Sudan.

But even then, the Warriors superstar managed to average a team-best 14.8 points on 50-percent shooting from the field and 47.8 percent from deep, adding 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

In other words, Curry built a strong case — especially when considering his final two performances — to be in close contention for the MVP award.

Perhaps Arenas not recognizing Curry’s merit at the Olympics might be his way of doubling down on not considering the Chef as a generational talent.

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