Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Arenas driving to the basket
No. 9    Washington Wizards
Guard
Personal information
Date of birth January 6, 1982 (1982-01-06) (age 29)
Place of birth Tampa, Florida
Nationality American
High school Grant High School
Los Angeles, California
Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight 215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College Arizona
NBA Draft 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 31
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Pro career 2001–present
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Gilbert Arenas at NBA.com

Gilbert Jay Arenas, Jr. (pronounced /əˈriːnɨs/; born January 6, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays as a point guard and shooting guard.

Arenas attended Grant High School in Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona late in his junior year. He entered the 2001 NBA Draft and was selected with the 31st overall pick by the Golden State Warriors.

Arenas is a three-time NBA All-Star, three-time member of the All-NBA Teams, and was voted the NBA Most Improved Player in the 2002–03 season. Arenas was most often nicknamed "Agent Zero," but has increasingly been referred to as "Hibachi," a nod to the small Japanese heating device, which literally translates to "bowl of fire."[1] Both names have quickly become fan favorites in the Washington area.

Arenas was suspended for most of the 2009-10 season because of handgun violations stemming from an episode on December 24, 2009, and for subsequent actions that appeared to make light of this episode.

Contents

NBA career

Rise to prominence

When Arenas entered the 2001 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona, his dream was to be drafted by the New York Knicks, who had two picks in the first round. They had shown interest in him but they passed. With no position solidified and a shaky prospect at best, Arenas went the entire first round without being drafted.

The Golden State Warriors finally drafted him with the second pick in the second round (31st overall). Although the Warriors did not enjoy much team success during his tenure with them, Arenas quickly established himself as one of the league's bright young talents. In 2003, his second year in the league, Arenas received the NBA Most Improved Player Award and was named Most Valuable Player of the Rookie-Sophomore game during the NBA All-Star Weekend.

After that season, he was one of the most sought-after free agents of the NBA. He signed with the Washington Wizards, reportedly after flipping a coin to decide among several teams, including the Wizards, Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers.[2] Arenas had a disappointing first season with the Wizards, battling a strained abdominal muscle injury all season. However, Arenas enjoyed great success in his second season in Washington. He teamed up with shooting guard Larry Hughes (22.0 points per game) in 2004–05 to give the Wizards the highest scoring backcourt duo in the NBA. Arenas was selected for his first NBA All-Star Game. He guided the team to a 45-win season and its first playoff berth since 1997. Arenas led the team in scoring with 25.5 ppg, and finished seventh in the league in that category. He also finished sixth in the league in steals per game in 2004–05 with 2.24 (Hughes led the league with 2.93 steals per game).

In the fifth game of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2005, Arenas hit a 16-foot fadeaway as time expired to give the Wizards a 112–110 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Wizards eventually won the series, the franchise's first playoff series victory in more than a decade.

Known for his fierce competitiveness and somewhat unusual behavior and style, Arenas quickly became a fan favorite in Washington. In 2006, Wizards fansite Wizznutzz.com jokingly dubbed him "Agent Zero," a nickname Arenas liked so much that it stuck.[3]

2005–06 season

Arenas had a career year during the 2005–06 season in which he averaged 29.3 points, which ranked fourth among the scoring leaders, two steals (also fourth), and 6.1 assists per game. Despite his accomplishments, neither fans nor coaches selected Arenas to the 2006 All-Star Game. He was able to get in due to the injury to Indiana Pacers forward–center Jermaine O'Neal. He also participated in the Three-point Shootout, where he was the runner-up to Dirk Nowitzki in the contest.

During the off-season, Arenas said that he was willing to take a pay cut in order to give the Wizards additional money with which to sign available free agents. He has expressed a desire to win a championship with the Wizards. One of Arenas' most memorable plays is a 40-foot jump shot in Round 1 of the 2006 NBA playoffs in which the Wizards were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

2006–07 season

During the 2006–07 NBA season, Arenas established himself as a threat in close game situations. On January 3, 2007, Arenas hit a 32-foot buzzer-beater to win the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, 108–105.[4] Two weeks later on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day he hit yet another buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat the Utah Jazz, 114–111, in a thriller at the Verizon Center.[5] This same scenario has been added as a cut scene in the video game NBA Live 2008. He also hit a game-winning layup as time expired to beat the Seattle SuperSonics on March 21, 2007.[6]

In an overtime game versus the Los Angeles Lakers on December 17, 2006 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Arenas scored a career-high 60 points, adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists in helping lead the Wizards over the Lakers 147–141. Arenas now holds the Wizards' franchise record for most points scored in a game by an individual. The previous record was held by Earl Monroe with 56 points, achieved in 1968 which was also an overtime game against the Lakers. Arenas's 16 points in the extra period also set an NBA record for most points in one overtime period, surpassing Earl Boykins' record by one point.[7]

Gilbert became noted during the season for his anger with being cut by Team USA for the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Team USA Managing Director Jerry Colangelo and assistant coach Mike D'Antoni cited Arenas's injury as the reason for his not making the team.

Arenas himself has noted that he withdrew from the United States national team for the 2006 FIBA World Championship because he felt that assistant coaches Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan had pre-determined the roster even prior to tryouts. Afterward, he stated that he planned on averaging 50 points against their respective teams (Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers). He succeeded at his goal versus powerhouse Phoenix, scoring 54 points, including 21-of-37 from the field, 6-of-12 three-pointers (while reportedly eyeing in the direction of Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo), in a high-scoring 144–139 Wizards win over the Suns.[8] However, on February 11 versus the Blazers, he was held to a lowly nine points, including tying the Wizards' franchise record for three-point futility, going 0-for-8 from behind the arc, in a 94–73 loss versus Portland.[9]

In February, 2007, during the final days of All-Star voting, Arenas was voted as a first-time starter for the 2007 NBA All-Star game for the Eastern Conference, edging out Vince Carter by a slight margin, with 1,454,166 votes to Carter's 1,451,156.[10] At the time he was averaging 29.7 points per game, second in the league.[10]

Towards the end of the season Arenas tore his MCL during a game against the Charlotte Bobcats when Gerald Wallace fell into his leg. The Wizards struggled to finish the season with Arenas and teammate Caron Butler both being injured. Washington earned a playoff berth, but was swept in the first round in a rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

During the offseason, Arenas told The Washington Post that he would "opt out" of his contract after the 2007–08 season, making him a free agent. He stated, "...if something happens where they don't want me or they're going in a different direction, I can look elsewhere. But my intentions are not to leave."[11]

2007–08 season

Arenas had only played in 8 games this season due to a knee injury, before he started practicing again in March, and returned to action on April 2, 2008 against the Milwaukee Bucks,[12] scoring 17 points in a 110–109 home loss.[13]

Ten days prior, Arenas stormed out of the locker room before a game against the Detroit Pistons.[14] He had wanted to play, but his doctor did not give him clearance.[15] Arenas made a surprise return on April 9, when he came out of the locker room with 5:30 left in the first quarter. He finished the game scoring 13 points and dishing out 3 assists in helping the Wizards beat the Boston Celtics 109–95.[16] He came off the bench for the rest of the regular season as not to disrupt the chemistry the Wizards had built without him. Arenas got his wish when they matched up against the Cavaliers for the third straight year; however, it was apparent he was not 100% healthy. In games 1–3, he played limited minutes, citing soreness in his surgically repaired knee. A few minutes before game 4 of their first-round playoff appearance against the Cavaliers, Arenas announced he would sit out the rest of the playoffs.[12]

On June 9, 2008, Arenas officially opted out of the final year of his contract. Arenas also stated that he would consider re-signing with the Wizards if they were able to retain fellow free agent and teammate Antawn Jamison. The Wizards did indeed sign Jamison to a contract.[17][18] Arenas was offered a five-year contract worth more than $100 million by the Golden State Warriors and another max deal by the Wizards, a six-year deal worth $124 million.[19] On July 13, 2008, Arenas signed a contract worth $111 million over six years with the Wizards.[20]

2008–09 season

Due to the various injuries he had been getting since April 2007, Arenas did not play in any game at all for the Wizards until March 28, 2009, scoring 15 points and dishing 10 assists in a 98–96 loss to the Detroit Pistons.[21] He also played a second game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, in which both teams wore their respective throwback jerseys. Arenas dished out 10 assists and scored 10 points, in a win, and fans were excited to see Arenas, Brendan Haywood, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler re-uniting for the first time in the season.

2009–10 season

Arenas opened the season on a hopeful note, scoring 29 points as the Wizards beat the Dallas Mavericks 102–91 in their season opener. However, Arenas' performance would be inconsistent in the weeks ahead; on November 11, he set a Wizards team record for turnovers in a game with 12.[22] On December 12, Arenas netted his first triple double in five and a half years in a loss to the Pacers.[23] Six days later Arenas had a season-best 45 points in a Wizards win over his former team, the Golden State Warriors.

On March 12, 2010, Arenas officially submitted paperwork to the NBA requesting a jersey number change from his well known #0 to #6. On July 3, 2010, Arenas officially submitted paperwork to the NBA requesting his number once again, but this time to be changed to #9.

Controversies

On December 24, 2009, it was revealed that Arenas had admitted to storing unloaded firearms in his locker at Verizon Center and had surrendered them to team security. In doing so, Arenas not only violated NBA rules against bringing firearms into an arena, but also violated D.C. ordinances as well.[24] 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. The D.C. Metropolitan Police and the U.S. Attorney's office began investigating,[25] and on January 14, 2010, Arenas was charged with carrying a pistol without a license, a violation of Washington D.C.'s gun-control laws.[26] Arenas pleaded guilty on January 15 to the felony of carrying an unlicensed pistol outside a home or business.[27]

On January 6, 2010, the NBA suspended Arenas indefinitely without pay until its investigation was complete. NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement that "his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game." By nearly all accounts, Stern felt compelled to act when Arenas' teammates surrounded him during pregame introductions prior to a game with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he pretended to shoot them with guns made from his fingers.[28] The Wizards issued a statement of their own condemning the players' pregame stunt as "unacceptable".[29] On January 27, 2010, Arenas and Crittenton were suspended for the rest of the season, after meeting with Stern.[30] On February 2, 2010, Arenas wrote an open editorial in the Washington Post, in which he apologized for his actions, particularly for failing to be a better role model to young fans and for "making light of a serious situation".[31] On March 26, 2010, Arenas was convicted for his crimes and was sentenced to two years probation and 30 days in a halfway house.[32] Arenas started his sentence in the halfway house on April 9. He was released on May 7.[33]

On June 19, 2010 in a poll released by E-Poll Market Research, Arenas was found to be one of the most disliked people in sports [34].

Personal life

Arenas was born in Tampa, Florida and raised by his single father in Florida and California after his mother, a drug addict, left him as a child.[35] His paternal grandfather is originally from Cuba. His cousin is Javier Arenas, an all-star football player who plays cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs. Another cousin, Armando Murillo, is also a cornerback at the University of Nebraska. On January 5, 2007, Arenas threw a million dollar 25th birthday party for himself which was dubbed "Arenas Express". The party, which was hosted by hip hop mogul P Diddy, was attended by many celebrities and drew national media attention.[36] Arenas is a friend of rapper The Game and was listed in the booklet for The Game's second album Doctor's Advocate. He collects a synthetic basketball from each team played, as well as players' jerseys, of which he has more than 200, most of which are autographed.[37] Arenas is an avid Halo player—his Gamertag is Agent Arenas—and officially sponsored Final Boss, a professional Halo 3 team.[38][39][40][41] In 2007, Arenas was chosen as the front cover model for video game NBA Live 08 sporting his "good luck" Wizards alternative jersey. "This is a dream come true," he said. "I'm a huge gamer and have been playing NBA LIVE since 1995. I never imagined that I would see my face on the cover of an EA Sports videogame."[39]

Arenas donated $100 for every point he scored in each home game during the 2006–07 season to local D.C. area schools, while Wizards team owner Abe Pollin matched that contribution for each away game. He also mentors a D.C. boy who lost his family in a fire at age 10. Arenas takes him shopping, bowling, got him a job as a ball boy for the Wizards, and acts as a brotherly figure towards him.[42]

Arenas has had his own shoe, the Adidas Gil Zero, as well as his own line of Adidas TS Lightswitch shoes. Arenas wears size 14 1⁄2 shoes.[43]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001–02 Golden State 47 30 24.6 .453 .345 .775 2.8 3.7 1.5 .2 10.9
2002–03 Golden State 82 82 35.0 .431 .348 .791 4.7 6.3 1.5 .2 18.3
2003–04 Washington 55 52 37.6 .392 .375 .748 4.6 5.0 1.9 .2 19.6
2004–05 Washington 80 80 40.9 .431 .365 .814 4.7 5.1 1.7 .3 25.5
2005–06 Washington 80 80 42.3 .447 .369 .820 3.5 6.1 2.0 .3 29.3
2006–07 Washington 74 73 39.8 .418 .351 .844 4.6 6.0 1.9 .2 28.4
2007–08 Washington 13 8 32.7 .398 .282 .771 3.9 5.1 1.8 .1 19.4
2008–09 Washington 2 2 31.5 .261 .286 .750 4.5 10.0 .0 .5 13.0
2009–10 Washington 32 32 36.5 .411 .348 .739 4.2 7.2 1.3 .3 22.6
Career 465 439 37.3 .426 .357 .804 4.2 5.6 1.7 .2 22.7
All-Star 3 1 15.0 .261 .250 .500 1.0 2.3 1.0 .0 5.3

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004–05 Washington 10 10 45.0 .376 .234 .766 5.2 6.2 2.1 .6 23.6
2005–06 Washington 6 6 47.3 .464 .435 .771 5.5 5.3 2.2 .7 34.0
2007–08 Washington 4 2 23.5 .389 .417 .833 1.8 2.8 .5 .0 10.8
Career 20 18 41.4 .411 .319 .773 4.6 5.3 1.8 .5 24.2

Awards and honors

  • Second Team: 2007
  • Third Team: 2005, 2006

Career records

Wizards franchise records

NBA records

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gibbons, Liz (2007-01-05). "BASKETBALL; Playing With a Gleam in His Eye". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/05/sports/basketball/05arenas.html. Retrieved 2007-02-18. 
  2. ↑ http://www.dcsportsfan.com/Sports/NBA/default.aspx?ArticleID=764
  3. ↑ [1]
  4. ↑ Arenas plays with pain, lifts Wiz over Bucks at buzzer
  5. ↑ Arenas (51 points) hits 3 at final horn to drown out Jazz
  6. ↑ Arenas nets 42, records winner to power Wizards by Sonics
  7. ↑ Washington Times - 60
  8. ↑ Arenas sinks 54, Nash drops 42 in high-scoring affair
  9. ↑ Arenas held to just nine points in Wizards' loss
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Arenas edges Carter for starting nod; LeBron is top pick
  11. ↑ ESPN - Arenas says he'll opt out of deal after 2007-08 season - NBA
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Dramatic entrance, reverse layup mark Arenas' return to Wizards
  13. ↑ Milwaukee @ Washington recap, April 1, 2008
  14. ↑ Jamison, Wizards send Pistons to second straight loss
  15. ↑ Arenas anxious to play but Wizards won't clear All-Star
  16. ↑ Jamison's jam on KG helps Wizards take season series with Celts
  17. ↑ Wizards' Arenas opts out of final year of contract, Associated Press, June 10, 2008.
  18. ↑ Ivan Carter, It's Official: Arenas Will Test Market, Washington Post, June 10, 2008.
  19. ↑ Wiz offer Arenas the max but he may take less
  20. ↑ NBA.com Reports: Arenas Agrees to $111 Million Deal with Wizards
  21. ↑ Yahoo! Sports - Sports News, Scores, Rumors, Fantasy Games, and more
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/11/gilbert-arenas-sets-franchise-record-for-turnovers/
  23. ↑ http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gamecenter/recap/NBA_20091212_IND@WAS/pacers-edge-wizards-despite-arenas-tripledouble
  24. ↑ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4771109
  25. ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,581718,00.html
  26. ↑ Howard Beck. "Wizards' Arenas Is Charged With Felony". New York Times. January 14, 2010. Retrieved on January 14, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Crittenton's plea agreement on gun charges could affect Arenas' future". CNN. January 25, 2010. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/michael_mccann/01/25/crittenton.wizards/index.html?cnn=yes&hpt=T2. Retrieved May 3, 2010. 
  28. ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Gilbert-Arenas-continues-to-take-gun-case-in-str?urn=nba,212006
  29. ↑ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4802267
  30. ↑ Stern bans Arenas, Crittenton for year
  31. ↑ "Gilbert Arenas: Learning to be a better role model". The Washington Post. February 2, 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020102795.html. Retrieved May 3, 2010. 
  32. ↑ [2]
  33. ↑ "Arenas released after 1-month stay". Assoicated Press.
  34. ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ys-forbesdisliked061810
  35. ↑ The Psychic Scars That Shaped an NBA Star - washingtonpost.com
  36. ↑ "Notes: D.C. celebrates Arenas' 25th birthday; Hawks add Dijon Thompson". USA Today. January 6, 2007. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2007-01-06-notebook_x.htm. Retrieved May 3, 2010. 
  37. ↑ Chiarella, Tom (November 2006). "The Pathology of Gilbert Arenas". Esquire. http://www.esquire.com/features/articles/2006/061005_mfe_November_06_Gilbert.html. Retrieved 2007-02-18. 
  38. ↑ SportsGamer.com : Gilbert Arenas Talks adidas, NBA Live 07 and Halo
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 EA Drafts Gilbert Arenas for NBA Live 08
  40. ↑ UPDATE: NBA's Arenas a Big, Fat Halo Cheater
  41. ↑ "Is Gilbert Cheating at Halo?". The Washington Post. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2007/10/is_gilbert_cheating_at_halo.html. Retrieved May 3, 2010. 
  42. ↑ Lee, Michael (2005-04-23). "Wizards Learn to Love 'Gilbertology'". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12185-2005Apr23.html. Retrieved 2007-02-18. 
  43. ↑ Gilbertology by Gilbert Arenas
  44. ↑ "Best Celebrity Blogger - 2007 Weblog Awards". http://2007.weblogawards.org/polls/best-celebrity-blogger-1.php. Retrieved November 9, 2007. 

External links

Preceded by
Jermaine O'Neal		 NBA Most Improved Player
2002–03		 Succeeded by
Zach Randolph
Washington Wizards current roster

1 Young | 2 Wall | 5 Howard | 7 Blatche | 9 Arenas | 12 Hinrich | 13 Seraphin | 14 Thornton | 20 Martin | 24 Armstrong | 31 Yi | 34 McGee | 35 Booker | 55 N'Diaye | -- Gee |

Head coach: F. Saunders | Assistant coaches: Wittman | Zierden | Cassell | Unseld | R. Saunders | Wells | Banks