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Gilbert Arenas was told to get the Wizards "out of the Jordan era" | Draymond Green Show

3 Mar 2023 · 2 min

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In this brief interview segment on the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green asks former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas about his transition from the Golden State Warriors to the Washington Wizards. Arenas explains that his move involved a major life change, but the key factor was his relationship with the late owner Abe Pollin. Pollin explicitly asked Arenas to help the franchise shed the lingering "Jordan era" narrative that still dominated media discussion, urging the team and fans to focus on the Wizards rather than Michael Jordan’s legacy. Arenas acknowledges the difficulty of that task, noting Pollin’s influence as one of the original four owners and his support for Arenas’ efforts. The clip ends with Draymond reminding viewers to subscribe to The Volume’s YouTube channel.

So you, but you leave Golden State and you go sign that deal with Washington. How was it adjusting? Number one, that's a whole life change moving from the West Coast to the East Coast after all of those years. Facts, facts. How was that adjustment? Different organizations. How was that adjustment for you moving to Washington?
You know, just, you know, I had the relationship with the owner, you know, Mr. Abe Pollin, rest in peace. That was my backing, right? That's who I talked to. That's who me and him, you know, had the conversation that, you know, and his, all he asked for is, "Get me out of the Jordan era." Mm-hmm. Everyone's killing me about Jordan. Right. I need you to make them stop talking about Jordan and, you know, what happened with us. And I'm indebted to you. And I said, "All right, I got you." And that was it.
That's a tall task.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Make people forget about Michael Jordan. That's a tall task.
Yeah, because it's like, think about it. It's MJ and he was supposed to be an owner and you didn't hire him as an owner. He was getting killed in the media. So he was like, "Make them forget about this." you know, and focused on, you know, the team. And I was like, "All right, hey, I'm gonna go out there and do my best." And he was like, "As long as you're, you know, doing what you're doing, I'm gonna push for you." 'Cause, you know, he was one of the original 4 owners.
Ah, okay.
Yeah, so he has pull, pull.
Yeah.
Pull, pull. For sure. Yeah. Absolutely.
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