Gilbert Arenas lashes out at Team USA's FIBA World Cup 2023 squad selection, urging equal opportunity: "Don't judge me on how I play on my team. Let me show you what I can do around other players."
Gilbert Arenas didn't hold back his criticism of Steve Kerr's Team USA preparations for the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Gilbert Arenas
| Position: | PG, SG |
| Age: | 41 |
| Height: | 193 cm |
| Weight: | 98 kg |
| Birth place: | Los Angeles, United States of America |
The three-time NBA All-Star was candid in pointing out the absence of a standout player as the team's foundation and voiced his reservations about the selection process.
"You see that list he got? That's a sorry-ass group," Arenas said on his Gil's Arena podcast. "I'm happy for the people who make it. It's cool. It's cool for some of the guys who got there that I don't know. Some of them probably don't even start on their team.
"It's embarrassing sometimes when you have star players who are really stars that do want to participate, and you just automatically say, 'He's not going to fit our style.'"
In contrast, Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young earlier in the discussion, expressed his continued desire to represent Team USA, despite being overlooked twice.
Arenas emphasized that not all players were given equal opportunities to state their case for selection.
"How the f**k do you know that he's not going to fit your style if you don't give him a chance? There's a reason there's a trial. Invite us all and let us show you that we can adapt," Arenas stated. "Don't judge me on how I play on my team. Let me show you what I can do around other players."
Team USA roster
| Jalen Brunson | PG | 26 yo |
| Tyrese Haliburton | PG | 23 yo |
| Josh Hart | SG | 28 yo |
| Anthony Edwards | SG | 22 yo |
| Austin Reaves | SG | 25 yo |
| Brandon Ingram | SF | 25 yo |
| Cameron Johnson | SF | 27 yo |
| Mikal Bridges | SF, SG | 26 yo |
| Bobby Portis | PF | 28 yo |
| Paolo Banchero | PF | 20 yo |
| Jaren Jackson Jr. | PF, C | 23 yo |
| Walker Kessler | C | 22 yo |
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