Amid LeBron James’ uncertain future with the Los Angeles Lakers, franchise icon Byron Scott made waves across the NBA world by urging the star forward to find a new home.
While several players and analysts have come to James’ defense, three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas took his resistance a step further, challenging Scott to explain how the 23-year veteran could have possibly “disappointed” him during his LA tenure.
Gilbert Arenas Pushes Back on Byron Scott’s Controversial Stance on LeBron James’ Lakers Future
While never an All-Star-level player, Scott played a key role in LA’s dominance in the 1980s, capturing three NBA titles with the Purple and Gold (1985, 1987, 1988).
Now well into retirement, the outspoken 64-year-old continues to voice strong opinions on the NBA, particularly about his former team. During a Thursday appearance on “Power 106 Los Angeles,” Scott didn’t hold back when asked if he is “ready to see [James] go from the Lakers.”
“Yeah,” Scott said with a chuckle. “I’m a fan, but I don’t mince words, either. I think this should be his last year here. … You don’t have to go home, but you got to get the hell up out of here.”
Responding to the divisive remark on “The Gilbert Arenas Show,” Arenas questioned the logic behind Scott taking issue with James, given the 41-year-old’s steady contributions since joining LA in 2018.
“Wanting him out of LA? Okay, it really, really is just like, man, are you serious?” Arenas began. “… LeBron James came in [the league in the] 2003-04 [season]. It is 2025-26. Take your biased opinions aside, can anybody name one year that LeBron James, THE YEAR, disappointed you?
“Can you say, ‘Oh man, this was a disappointing year.’ Not a disappointing series, not a disappointing play, not a disappointing two minutes of a game, and he lost the championship game. No, the year when you said, ‘Alright, LeBron James from game 81 until he was done.’ Can you say that man disappointed you? Like, what year was his off year?”
Gilbert Arenas reacts to Byron Scott urging LeBron James to “get the hell out of” LA. pic.twitter.com/36W4rzEtJ3
— StatHunter (@stat_hunter) March 5, 2026
To Arenas’ point, James has averaged between 21.6 and 30.3 points per game across each of his eight campaigns with the Lakers, bringing home the 2020 championship. Meanwhile, the four-time MVP continues to defy Father Time, securing his record-extending 22nd All-Star selection this season.
While James’ at-times cryptic remarks about his future while playing on an expiring $52.6 million contract have rubbed some the wrong way, the fact that he’s still producing for a playoff-caliber team in Year 23 is something most ex-players should celebrate.
