March 26, 2025 • 11 mins
In December 2009, a heated card game between Washington Wizards teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton turned into one of the NBA's most infamous scandals. What started as trash talk escalated into a locker room standoff involving guns, leading to suspensions, legal battles, and the unraveling of two careers. In this episode, we dive deep into the rise and fall of 'Agent Zero,' explore the events that led to the confrontation, and reflect on how this moment changed the NBA forever. Tune in for an unforgettable story of ego, talent, and consequences.
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📅 Listen now! 👉 DailySportsHistory.com 📲 Follow for more daily sports history insights! Hashtags:
Email: dailysportshistory@gmail.com
YouTube: YouTube.com/@dailysportshistory
Twitter: twitter.com/dailysportshis
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
On March twenty sixth, twenty ten, Gilbert Arenas of the
Washington Wizards is sentenced to thirty days in a halfway house,
as well as two years probation, a five thousand dollars fine,
and four hundred hours of community service following an incident
where team trash talking and fighting on a plane escalated
(00:22):
to a standoff in the Washington Wizards locker room where
he brought multiple guns in a moment that could have
gone horribly wrong. And today we're going to dive into
Gilbert Arenas from his rise and fall as his nickname
Agent Zero, to this moment that devastated his career, in
his life forever, the talent ego in devastating consequences of
(00:45):
poor judgment on Gilbert Arenas. Today on Daily Sports History,
Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan revees your guide
as you daily learn more about sports history, increasing your
sports knowledge. As today we dive into Gilbert Arenas in
(01:09):
his gun incident. And today's trivia question is what was
the pick and the team that drafted Gilbert Arenas in
the two thousand and one NBA draft. Listen throughout the
episode to get the answer, and if you miss it.
Listen to the end, and I will make sure you
get the answer. Gilbert Arenas was born in Tampa, Florida,
(01:36):
in nineteen eighty two, where he attended Ulysses S. Grant
High School, and he was a late bloomer, as he
didn't end up on anyone national ranking list until nineteen
ninety nine and he was the ninety ninth player of
that class, but was high enough to get recruited by
the University of Arizona after attending Michael Jordan's basketball camp
where he impressed Jordan himself, scoring eight baskets on eight
(01:59):
different possessi and he showed a lot of success and
promise while at the University of Arizona and in two
thousand and one, we would be named All Pack ten
as well as leading Arizona to the National Championship Game,
where they would eventually lose to the Duke Blue Devils.
And although he struggled during the game, this was because
he was dealing with a knee injury, but he got
enough national exposure that he entered the NBA Draft at
(02:21):
the age of only nineteen despite spending two years in college.
But but he didn't jump off the page for many
of the teams and would end up being drafted by
the Golden State Warriors, being selected thirty first overall, the
first pick of the second round, and this is what
led to his motivation throughout his career. He thought he
(02:42):
was slighted not being a first round pick, and he
really showed in his sophomore season when he averaged eighteen points,
six assists, and four rebounds, earning the NBA's Most Improved
Player award, But due to some contract issues on being
a second round pick versus a first round pick. After
that season, he was a free agent and was able
(03:04):
to sign with the Washington Wizards, making him a cornerstone
for the franchise in the early two thousands. Although injuries
limited him in his first season, he did average nineteen
points and five assists per game, and over the next
three years he would really emerge as a star, a
bona fide scorer, and after the two thousand and five season,
he would be earned where he earned his first All
(03:25):
Star selection. He would also be named third team All NBA,
averaging over twenty five points, five assists, and almost five rebounds.
In the following season, he elevated his game even more,
averaging a career high twenty nine point three points, fourth
in the NBA at the time, to go along with
six assists, and would earn another All Star nod and
be named to another All NBA team. The following season,
(03:48):
he had similar numbers, but he also helped lead the
Washington Wizards to a playoff push despite injuries that he
was dealing with throughout the season, and during this year
he had his career high as well as well as
a franchise record sixty points in a win over the
Los Angeles Lakers facing Kobe Bryant. In the success he
was having gave way to his new persona or his nickname,
(04:12):
Agent Zero, because he wore the number of zero and
he used the word agent as he played in Washington,
where there's lots of different CIA agents FBI agents. It
was a clever nod to where he played and his number.
And by this time he was twenty five and one
of the brightest stars in the NBA. Taking a franchise
(04:32):
like the Washington Wizards, who had struggled mightily with little
success throughout their tenure, but Gilbert gave them hope. But unfortunately,
in December two thousand and nine, there was an incident
when the Washington Wizards were flying back from a game
on the West Coast. There is a High States card
game called Bret, which is a mixture of poker and
(04:54):
spades and very commonly played in NBA circles as it
allows for a lot of money to be gambled on.
You have to remember this is around the time when
the iPhone was still new and they don't have the
technology we have to play as many games on their phones.
Tablets really wasn't the thing. You had computers, but it
(05:14):
was still an emphasy on what we have today. So
lots of players still play cards, especially the veterans, and
it was very common to get in these games, and
the amounts of money put into these games would be
thousands and thousands of dollars. These are NBA players, many
being paid millions of dollars, but a lot of them
were getting paid League minimum, which is still hundreds of
(05:35):
thousands of dollars compared to what average people make. Is
a lot, but in the NBA circles is a little
and Javaris Crittinton of the Washington and Wizards had already
lost a lot of money and was pinching every penny
in mid flight, there was an incident where Gilbert got
into a game and increased the pot and got out,
(05:56):
basically causing Javares to have to pay even more money
just because Gilbert got into the game. For Gilbert, this
was nothing, he was one of the highest paid players
on the team, but Javarius was a low paid player,
and this caused him to really escalate conversations, especially when
Javares lost the hand to fellow teammate Javelle McGee, losing
(06:18):
him thousands of dollars, and Criton was furious not only
at McGee, but at Gilbert, who caused him to pay
even more money. This led to multiple threats being thrown
back and forth. He said, I'll burn your car. Critinton
came back with I will shoot you. I'll shoot you
in your knee, and Arena said I'll bring the guns
(06:38):
for you to shoot me. And two days later, Gilbert
Arenas followed up on this promise. He brought four unloaded
handguns into the Wizard's locker room and joked pick one
out now. The incident escalated as Criton actually did point
a gun at Arenas, causing teammates to panic and everyone
fled the locker room. The aftermath was luckily no one
(07:00):
was injured, but this was the beginning of the end
of the careers for both these Wizard players, and this
would dominate the headlines for months as it showed gun
violence in the NBA, and violence was what the NBA
wanted to get away from at the time. There's already
already connections with possible gangs and players wearing gang type
clothing from before that they wanted to get away from
(07:23):
where they instituted a change in the dress code, and
this was actual guns in their arena, which is supposed
to be a safe haven where guns are never supposed
to be. We've all gone through the metal detectors. We
can't bring in a gun, and the players shouldn't be
able to bring in a gun either. And the fallout
from this is neither players shot of gun. The incident
quickly became public knowledge and rock the NBA David Starn
(07:46):
suspended both Gilbert Arenas and Javars Crittinton indefinitely for the
lead to determine what they should do, and Gilbert went
on to plead guilty to gun charges and was sentenced
to probation as well as time in a halfway House
of Fine and community service, and Crittinton also accepted a
similar plea, but never played in the NBA again. Crittinton
(08:08):
was a fringe NBA player and any skeept and his
talent did not outweigh his legal troubles. But Gilbert was
a star in the NBA and he was able to
come back due to how good he was as a player.
I know to double standard, but when someone is better
at their job despite charges and gun violence even though
(08:30):
there was no gun fired, having guns in the locker
room was a huge no no now, Gilbert would in
A year later, Gilbert would be traded to the Orlando Magic,
where he struggled with injuries throughout his time there and
never averaged more than ten points a game with the
Orlando Magic and would retire following the twenty twelve season.
(08:50):
And Gilbert would go on to become a regular NBA
retiree and join kind of the media where he has
his own podcast called No Chill with Gilbert Arenas and
seems to be living a quiet life since then. But
unfortunately for Javares, his life spiraled after this incident and
he convicted voluntary manslaughter in a gang related shootout in
(09:14):
twenty eleven, it was sentenced to twenty three years in prison. Now,
it wasn't the only players the Washington Wizard struck struggled
and the following season would win just twenty six games
and it would be years before they would get back
to being another contending team in the East. Now, it's
likely that Gilbert would have ended his career. His career
was on the downside. At that point, he had hit
(09:36):
thirty years old, which is usually when players start to
go down, unless you're Lebron James, then you continue to
play until you're forty at an All star level, but
most players don't do that. He did attempt a comeback
and play for the Shanghai Sharks in China, but he
would only play one season there. But he would end
his career as a three time All Star, as well
as being named the most improved player in his sophomore season.
(09:59):
Although oh he never won a championship or really had
much success in the playoffs, he was for a moment
a great scorer in the NBA. And if you want
to check him out online, he's got a lot of
videos talking about this and also his podcast is on there,
so you can check him out. To get more insights
about what it's like to be an NBA player, and
he's actually and just imagine if things would have escalated
(10:22):
to him actually being shocked by Javars as he did
that later in life would have been a whole different thing.
And lets us know that sometimes our ego can be
bigger than this situation and better to play it safe
and enjoy a career rather than throw it all away.
(10:42):
I want to thank you for listening to today's Daily
Sports History. If you like this, please follow us on
our social media's. We have pictures and videos of our episodes.
You can check them out. We're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, threads, YouTube, macedon,
blue Sky, LinkedIn wherever you'd like to socialize, We're there
for you. There's links in the description below and come
(11:02):
back tomorrow for more Daily Sports History. And did you
get the answer to today's trivia question? What team and
pick was Gilbert Arenas? In the two thousand and one
NBA Draft, Gilbert Arenas was selected by the Golden State
Warriors with the first pick, number thirty one in the
(11:24):
second round, which he used as motivation throughout his career.
Feeling slighted and helped lead him to one of the
most prolific tours in the two thousands,
On March twenty sixth, twenty ten, Gilbert Arenas of the
Washington Wizards is sentenced to thirty days in a halfway house,
as well as two years probation, a five thousand dollars fine,
and four hundred hours of community service following an incident
where team trash talking and fighting on a plane escalated
(00:22):
to a standoff in the Washington Wizards locker room where
he brought multiple guns in a moment that could have
gone horribly wrong. And today we're going to dive into
Gilbert Arenas from his rise and fall as his nickname
Agent Zero, to this moment that devastated his career, in
his life forever, the talent ego in devastating consequences of
(00:45):
poor judgment on Gilbert Arenas. Today on Daily Sports History,
Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan revees your guide
as you daily learn more about sports history, increasing your
sports knowledge. As today we dive into Gilbert Arenas in
(01:09):
his gun incident. And today's trivia question is what was
the pick and the team that drafted Gilbert Arenas in
the two thousand and one NBA draft. Listen throughout the
episode to get the answer, and if you miss it.
Listen to the end, and I will make sure you
get the answer. Gilbert Arenas was born in Tampa, Florida,
(01:36):
in nineteen eighty two, where he attended Ulysses S. Grant
High School, and he was a late bloomer, as he
didn't end up on anyone national ranking list until nineteen
ninety nine and he was the ninety ninth player of
that class, but was high enough to get recruited by
the University of Arizona after attending Michael Jordan's basketball camp
where he impressed Jordan himself, scoring eight baskets on eight
(01:59):
different possessi and he showed a lot of success and
promise while at the University of Arizona and in two
thousand and one, we would be named All Pack ten
as well as leading Arizona to the National Championship Game,
where they would eventually lose to the Duke Blue Devils.
And although he struggled during the game, this was because
he was dealing with a knee injury, but he got
enough national exposure that he entered the NBA Draft at
(02:21):
the age of only nineteen despite spending two years in college.
But but he didn't jump off the page for many
of the teams and would end up being drafted by
the Golden State Warriors, being selected thirty first overall, the
first pick of the second round, and this is what
led to his motivation throughout his career. He thought he
(02:42):
was slighted not being a first round pick, and he
really showed in his sophomore season when he averaged eighteen points,
six assists, and four rebounds, earning the NBA's Most Improved
Player award, But due to some contract issues on being
a second round pick versus a first round pick. After
that season, he was a free agent and was able
(03:04):
to sign with the Washington Wizards, making him a cornerstone
for the franchise in the early two thousands. Although injuries
limited him in his first season, he did average nineteen
points and five assists per game, and over the next
three years he would really emerge as a star, a
bona fide scorer, and after the two thousand and five season,
he would be earned where he earned his first All
(03:25):
Star selection. He would also be named third team All NBA,
averaging over twenty five points, five assists, and almost five rebounds.
In the following season, he elevated his game even more,
averaging a career high twenty nine point three points, fourth
in the NBA at the time, to go along with
six assists, and would earn another All Star nod and
be named to another All NBA team. The following season,
(03:48):
he had similar numbers, but he also helped lead the
Washington Wizards to a playoff push despite injuries that he
was dealing with throughout the season, and during this year
he had his career high as well as well as
a franchise record sixty points in a win over the
Los Angeles Lakers facing Kobe Bryant. In the success he
was having gave way to his new persona or his nickname,
(04:12):
Agent Zero, because he wore the number of zero and
he used the word agent as he played in Washington,
where there's lots of different CIA agents FBI agents. It
was a clever nod to where he played and his number.
And by this time he was twenty five and one
of the brightest stars in the NBA. Taking a franchise
(04:32):
like the Washington Wizards, who had struggled mightily with little
success throughout their tenure, but Gilbert gave them hope. But unfortunately,
in December two thousand and nine, there was an incident
when the Washington Wizards were flying back from a game
on the West Coast. There is a High States card
game called Bret, which is a mixture of poker and
(04:54):
spades and very commonly played in NBA circles as it
allows for a lot of money to be gambled on.
You have to remember this is around the time when
the iPhone was still new and they don't have the
technology we have to play as many games on their phones.
Tablets really wasn't the thing. You had computers, but it
(05:14):
was still an emphasy on what we have today. So
lots of players still play cards, especially the veterans, and
it was very common to get in these games, and
the amounts of money put into these games would be
thousands and thousands of dollars. These are NBA players, many
being paid millions of dollars, but a lot of them
were getting paid League minimum, which is still hundreds of
(05:35):
thousands of dollars compared to what average people make. Is
a lot, but in the NBA circles is a little
and Javaris Crittinton of the Washington and Wizards had already
lost a lot of money and was pinching every penny
in mid flight, there was an incident where Gilbert got
into a game and increased the pot and got out,
(05:56):
basically causing Javares to have to pay even more money
just because Gilbert got into the game. For Gilbert, this
was nothing, he was one of the highest paid players
on the team, but Javarius was a low paid player,
and this caused him to really escalate conversations, especially when
Javares lost the hand to fellow teammate Javelle McGee, losing
(06:18):
him thousands of dollars, and Criton was furious not only
at McGee, but at Gilbert, who caused him to pay
even more money. This led to multiple threats being thrown
back and forth. He said, I'll burn your car. Critinton
came back with I will shoot you. I'll shoot you
in your knee, and Arena said I'll bring the guns
(06:38):
for you to shoot me. And two days later, Gilbert
Arenas followed up on this promise. He brought four unloaded
handguns into the Wizard's locker room and joked pick one
out now. The incident escalated as Criton actually did point
a gun at Arenas, causing teammates to panic and everyone
fled the locker room. The aftermath was luckily no one
(07:00):
was injured, but this was the beginning of the end
of the careers for both these Wizard players, and this
would dominate the headlines for months as it showed gun
violence in the NBA, and violence was what the NBA
wanted to get away from at the time. There's already
already connections with possible gangs and players wearing gang type
clothing from before that they wanted to get away from
(07:23):
where they instituted a change in the dress code, and
this was actual guns in their arena, which is supposed
to be a safe haven where guns are never supposed
to be. We've all gone through the metal detectors. We
can't bring in a gun, and the players shouldn't be
able to bring in a gun either. And the fallout
from this is neither players shot of gun. The incident
quickly became public knowledge and rock the NBA David Starn
(07:46):
suspended both Gilbert Arenas and Javars Crittinton indefinitely for the
lead to determine what they should do, and Gilbert went
on to plead guilty to gun charges and was sentenced
to probation as well as time in a halfway House
of Fine and community service, and Crittinton also accepted a
similar plea, but never played in the NBA again. Crittinton
(08:08):
was a fringe NBA player and any skeept and his
talent did not outweigh his legal troubles. But Gilbert was
a star in the NBA and he was able to
come back due to how good he was as a player.
I know to double standard, but when someone is better
at their job despite charges and gun violence even though
(08:30):
there was no gun fired, having guns in the locker
room was a huge no no now, Gilbert would in
A year later, Gilbert would be traded to the Orlando Magic,
where he struggled with injuries throughout his time there and
never averaged more than ten points a game with the
Orlando Magic and would retire following the twenty twelve season.
(08:50):
And Gilbert would go on to become a regular NBA
retiree and join kind of the media where he has
his own podcast called No Chill with Gilbert Arenas and
seems to be living a quiet life since then. But
unfortunately for Javares, his life spiraled after this incident and
he convicted voluntary manslaughter in a gang related shootout in
(09:14):
twenty eleven, it was sentenced to twenty three years in prison. Now,
it wasn't the only players the Washington Wizard struck struggled
and the following season would win just twenty six games
and it would be years before they would get back
to being another contending team in the East. Now, it's
likely that Gilbert would have ended his career. His career
was on the downside. At that point, he had hit
(09:36):
thirty years old, which is usually when players start to
go down, unless you're Lebron James, then you continue to
play until you're forty at an All star level, but
most players don't do that. He did attempt a comeback
and play for the Shanghai Sharks in China, but he
would only play one season there. But he would end
his career as a three time All Star, as well
as being named the most improved player in his sophomore season.
(09:59):
Although oh he never won a championship or really had
much success in the playoffs, he was for a moment
a great scorer in the NBA. And if you want
to check him out online, he's got a lot of
videos talking about this and also his podcast is on there,
so you can check him out. To get more insights
about what it's like to be an NBA player, and
he's actually and just imagine if things would have escalated
(10:22):
to him actually being shocked by Javars as he did
that later in life would have been a whole different thing.
And lets us know that sometimes our ego can be
bigger than this situation and better to play it safe
and enjoy a career rather than throw it all away.
(10:42):
I want to thank you for listening to today's Daily
Sports History. If you like this, please follow us on
our social media's. We have pictures and videos of our episodes.
You can check them out. We're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, threads, YouTube, macedon,
blue Sky, LinkedIn wherever you'd like to socialize, We're there
for you. There's links in the description below and come
(11:02):
back tomorrow for more Daily Sports History. And did you
get the answer to today's trivia question? What team and
pick was Gilbert Arenas? In the two thousand and one
NBA Draft, Gilbert Arenas was selected by the Golden State
Warriors with the first pick, number thirty one in the
(11:24):
second round, which he used as motivation throughout his career.
Feeling slighted and helped lead him to one of the
most prolific tours in the two thousands,
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