Kobe Bryant's $13,000,000 ex-teammate, Gilbert Arenas make feelings known on Armenian hooper Anto Balian's potential

Matt Barnes, a former teammate of Kobe Bryant, and Gilbert Arenas, an old opponent of the LA Lakers legend, showed their appreciation to an Armenian teenager making a lot of noise on social media recently. Anto Balian has become a sensation thanks to his offensive traits, earning a lot of praise in recent weeks.

Barnes, who has a $13 million net worth, reacted after Balian dropped 53 points against the Oakwood Owls on Friday. He scored 53 of his team's 81 points, shooting 17-from-32 from the field and taking the squad to an 81-76 win. Barnes lauded the kid with an Instagram comment after Ball is Life shared some highlights on Saturday.

"He’s a bucket. Seen it w my own eyes. Keep workin bro," Barnes wrote.

Then, on Saturday, Gilbert Arenas emulated Barnes after Balian scored 35 points against his son Alijah Arenas. Once again, he led her squad to the win, this time dominating Chatsworth 77-56. He made 10 of 24 field goal attempts, including five of 12 3-point shots. As for Arenas, he responded with 31 points, but it wasn't enough to prevent the loss.

"This kid gave sierra canyon 40-50 😂😂😂 he can get buckets," Arenas commented.

Anto Balian has taken the world by storm, even though he didn't have the easiest start to his high school journey. In 2021 when he was a freshman, Balian was ranked 327 in his state, a number that got worse in 2022, as he was ranked 355. That said, he improved his game and now is one of the most famous high school players.

Besides impressing Gilbert Arenas, Anto Balian is putting on impressive numbers for Pilibos Eagles this season

Anto Balian has become a superstar for his team and the numbers show that he's going in the right direction to aspire to become an NBA player eventually. The Armenian player leads the Pilibos Eagles in points (32.4), rebounds (9.2), assists (4.8), steals (1.0) and blocks per game (0.6), all while shooting 49% from the field, which is also a team-high.

His team is on a three-game winning streak after beating Gilbert Arenas' son Alijah and Chatsworth on Saturday. They will return to the court on Tuesday against Buckley. Anto Balian wasn't expected to be this good during his first two years, but this teenager is a reality and even two former NBA players are giving him his flowers.