Did Rashad McCants Get Fired from Gil’s Arena?

People are buzzing about Rashad McCants’ sudden absence from Gil’s Arena, especially after the latest Tuesday episode where the usual crew—Brandon Jennings, Lexxie Brown, Gilbert Arenas, Nick Young, Kenyon Martin, and Josiah Johnson—were all present, but McCants was nowhere to be seen.

The mystery deepened when Josiah Johnson remarked, “We got the whole crew here,” despite McCants, who typically appears on Tuesdays, missing from the couch.

This oddity has sparked speculation among fans and viewers about whether McCants was fired or sidelined.

Why Was Rashad McCants Fired from Gil’s Arena, if the Rumor is True?

The timing of McCants’ disappearance from the show coincides with a controversial moment from the previous Thursday’s episode.

During a discussion about the Phoenix Suns missing the playoffs, Kyrie Irving came up in the conversation, linked to Kevin Durant’s unsuccessful Brooklyn stint, which was affected by Kyrie’s numerous absences due to off-court “issues”. I put the term “issues” in quotes because these were seen as problems mainly by the NBA, not necessarily by the public.

The conversation took a sharp turn when Kyrie’s suspension for sharing a link to the Amazon-promoted documentary “Hebrew to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” was discussed. This film allegedly explores the historical connection between Black people and Jewish people, a topic that stirred debate.

Nick Young asked if Kyrie Irving might regret his actions, to which Gilbert Arenas responded that he spoke with DJ Vlad, who is Jewish, and Vlad believed Kyrie might not have fully watched the documentary before posting the link, implying Kyrie might not have grasped the full historical context.

Rashad McCants then boldly defended Kyrie live on air, saying,

“DJ Vlad needs to chill the f*** out. What Kyrie did is what no one had the balls to do. That’s why he got in trouble for it… When the truth comes out, you get penalized for the truth. Kyrie got penalized for the truth. Why you think they (the NBA) shut that s***, but it’s still on Amazon?”

This segment was later mysteriously removed from the final posted video, but social media clips captured McCants’ remarks, fueling further speculation about repercussions.

Rashad mccants checks dj vlad after told Gilbert arenas about how kyrie Irving reposting that book during his time at the Brooklyn nets and how probably didn’t even read it pic.twitter.com/7oaRfko02E

— joebuddenclips/fanpage (@Chatnigga101) April 10, 2025

Since that episode, McCants has been absent from Gil’s Arena, including his usual Tuesday slot. Neither Gilbert Arenas nor Josiah Johnson has publicly addressed his absence, leaving fans to wonder if McCants was fired or suspended due to his controversial defense of Kyrie Irving and the documentary.

The film, which allegedly discusses topics regarding whether Black people are the original Jewish people using historical evidence, remains available on Amazon, underscoring McCants’ point.

Remeber when Kyrie posted link he was accused of being antisemtic, despite the fact that Kyrie Irving claimed that he has Jewish people in his own family. On record Kyrie himself has never made any antisemitic comments, the only thing he did was post a link to the Amazon movie.

Whether McCants will return to the show remains uncertain, but his unique and often challenging basketball insights have been a distinctive part of the show’s dynamic, contrasting with the more casual opinions of Arenas and the rest of the crew.

In many ways, McCants’ role on Gil’s Arena was like a spark in a campfire—sometimes igniting heated debates that pushed the conversation beyond the usual basketball chatter.

His absence feels like a missing piece of the puzzle, leaving the show a bit less vibrant.

The situation is reminiscent of a player benched for speaking his mind, raising questions about the balance between free expression and the boundaries set by the show’s producers.

Only time will reveal if McCants will be back to stir the pot or if his outspoken nature has cost him his spot on the team.