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Gilbert Arenas Reveals Details About The NBA’s Worst Gun Scandal

When you hear the name ‘Gilbert Arenas’ most people probably also think of the gun incident he had with Javaris Crittenton in the Wizards locker room:

“On December 24, 2009, it was revealed that Arenas had admitted to storing unloaded firearms in his locker at Verizon Center… On January 1, 2010, it was also reported that Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton had unloaded guns in the Wizards’ locker room during a Christmas Eve argument regarding gambling debts…  Arenas was charged with carrying a pistol without a license, a violation of Washington D.C.’s gun-control laws. Arenas pleaded guilty on January 15 to the felony of carrying an unlicensed pistol outside a home or business.

On January 6, 2010, Arenas’s 28th birthday, the NBA suspended Arenas indefinitely without pay until its investigation was complete… Arenas and Crittenton were suspended for the rest of the season, after meeting with Stern.”

via Wikipedia

Now, in an amazing article by Action Network‘s Jon Gold (seriously, read it, this is like straight out of an action movie) who tells the whole story through the words of Gilbert Arenas himself. Arenas, for the first time, shared details about the NBA’s worst gun scandal.

Contrary to popular believe, it wasn’t about money.

“This had nothing to do with gambling debts. It was about the shit-talking while I was losing. It was like someone scoring on you every time down. I’m the designated shit-talker. I could be down $40,000, but if I irritated someone so bad they feel like they lost $20K? I’m happy. I won. I don’t feel like the biggest loser of the night.”

But Gilbert Arenas was much more than that. He was an elite NBA player, one of the best and most talented guards of our time. He was a three time All-Star and member of three All NBA Teams. In his second year in the league, Agent 0 won the MIP Award. In his prime year from 2003-2007, he was a matchup nightmare.

He was almost unguardable thanks to his ability to build his game off his fantastic shooting ability. He was one of the most effective players in the NBA in ISO situations, due to his perimeter accuracy and his unpredictable offensive attack. Arenas mixed up his drives very well and didn’t favor one side of the court, so getting a handle on how he’s going to attack was extremely difficult. He’s had good explosive strength going to the basket, finishing well after contact or elevating after turning the corner on his man. He also got to the free throw line incredibly well, which made him extremely difficult to guard.

But all of these positive features were overshadowed by the incident on January 1, 2010.