Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, known for his candid and unfiltered commentary, recently shared some advice for NBA rookies that may be hard to accept.
During an episode of his ‘Gil’s Arena’ podcast, Arenas made a bold claim about the relationships of NBA players. He stated that a significant percentage of women dating NBA rookies will engage in romantic relationships with other players in the league while they are still together, regardless of how highly the rookies were drafted.
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According to him, these players are often viewed as being at the “bottom rung” of the NBA hierarchy. Arenas explained, “70% of y’all girlfriends gonna sleep with another NBA player while y’all dating, so get that over you. You’re introducing her to a life where you’re at the beginning of it. No matter if you’re the No. 1 pick, you are still at the bottom end of it.”
He further emphasized that these girlfriends are equally star-struck by NBA players and have their own celebrity crushes within the league. They may admire and be attracted to well-known players just as much as fans do.
Arenas used the example of a girlfriend having a crush on a player like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, or Ja Morant, and he suggested that interactions can happen when players are on the road. He urged young players to let go of any insecurities or jealousy stemming from these situations.
“Right, there’s players on that team that you watched and admire, they watching and admire,” he continued.
“They had crushes on, they got crushes. If you is you, right? You know, there’s a Curry in the league that she been watching, and LeBron in the league that she been watching, got Jayson Tatum, she got Ja Morant. you on the road.”
“And Ja Morant hit through the DM. Trust me, brother. You gotta let it go.”
It’s worth noting that there have been instances of NBA players’ significant others becoming involved with their teammates, and Arenas himself has admitted to having been romantically involved with former teammate Nick Young’s girlfriends. He claimed that he did this to impart a valuable lesson to the younger player.
Love and relationships in the world of professional basketball can indeed be quite complicated and challenging to navigate.
