Gilbert Arenas, nicknamed “Agent 0,” made a name for himself in the NBA around the early 2000s era of the NBA. He was recognized as one of the most elite 3-level scorers at the time.
He also made a statement back in early April, that when he was 25 years old, he was better than Steph Curry at the same age. Gilbert Arenas elaborated on this comparison he made when he spoke on Vlad TV.
“I don’t think people actually listen,” Arenas said. “They’re like ‘oh that was a bad take,’ did you listen to the actual take? I got hurt at 25, so I don’t have really a resume after that, so my resume is by 25 these players couldn’t f**k with me. As a career, I’m not in these fu*king categories right I can’t compete with the God.”
Gilbert Arenas was age 25 during the 2006-07 season with the Washington Wizards. In that season, Arenas averaged 28.4 points per game (41.8% shooting, including 35.1% from 3-point range) and 6.0 assists.
Unfortunately, Gilbert Arenas’ career started to go downhill when he suffered an injury towards the end of the season. In a ball game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Gerald Wallace fell onto Arenas’ leg, resulting in a torn MCL.
Meanwhile, for Steph Curry, he was age 25 during the 2013-14 season with the Golden State Warriors. In that season, Curry averaged 24.0 ppg (47.1% shooting, including 42.4% from 3-point range) and 8.5 apg.
Looking more into the Steph Curry and Gilbert Arenas debate at age 25
The first time Arenas made the comparison was in an interview on the “I am athlete” podcast with Brandon Marshall. He clarified his comparison by bringing up accolades to the discussion.
“Because you have to stop him at 25,” Arenas said. “There’s no three championships. … So when people hear it, they’re going to be like what — 25, there’s no three championships. There’s only a one-time All-Star, I’m a three-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA player by the age of 25. There’s not a lot of us at that age.”
Accolades are in favor of Arenas in this debate. However, the 2006-07 season was his sixth season in the league, and Curry’s 2013-14 season was his fifth season. During Curry’s first three seasons in the league, he was playing alongside Monta Ellis, who was the face of the franchise at the time.
After being traded to the Bucks in 2012, Steph Curry had his first season as the first option in the 2012-13 season, his fourth in the league. As for Gilbert Arenas, he had his first season as the first option during the 2011-12 season, his third in the league.
Both players were in their own unique situations with their respective teams. No one could have predicted Gilbert Arenas would have turned into the player he was as the 31st pick in the 2001 draft. The same thing can be said for Steph Curry, who was originally viewed as just an elite shooter.