No one would have expected a gun showdown between two NBA players. Here is everything about the shocking Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton incident.
Not many know the secrets of the NBA. Fans have witnessed thrillers in the NBA, but there was a James Bond film-like scenario in 2009. Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton, former players of the Washington Wizards were in an action mode inside the locker room on December 21, 2009. The Gun Incident scandal is one of the most shocking incidents in NBA history.
Javaris Crittenton and Gilbert Arenas were addicted to card games and gambling. They used to play Booray, a card game in flight. Javaris Crittenton was on a losing streak and he was challenged by Gilbert Arenas who just completed a nap. The two started playing Booray and things changed when Arenas started to irritate his teammate. Before the game ended, Javaris Crittenton became furious and threatened Arenas saying he would use his gun and fire a shot.
Players of Washington Wizards who witnessed the incident in flight were astonished. After a few days, Arenas met Javaris Crittenton inside the locker room and showed 4 handguns to his teammate. Javaris Crittenton rejected the deal and surprised everyone by taking out a gun. It was a gun showdown and everyone left the room. In the end, both didn’t shoot the other. David Stern was the NBA commissioner in 2009 and he suspended both the players. Caron Butler, the former Washington Wizards player was the one who controlled the situation and avoided a disaster.
Gilbert Arenas was suspended for the remainder of the 2009-2010 NBA season after the gun showdown. Arenas brought firearms to the Capital One Arena which was against the D.C. ordinances and NBA rules. Arenas apologized to his fans in an interview with The Washington Post and he was sentenced to two years probation. After the ban, he only played two NBA seasons.
Javaris Crittenton was released by the Washington Wizards after the gun incident. He also killed a 22-year old girl and mother of four kids. Crittenton was signed by the Zhejiang Lions in 2010 and Dakota Wizards in 2011. He never played the league after 2011. Crittenton was charged with manslaughter and was given 23 years imprisonment. Crittenton’s punishment was reduced to 10 years and he was released in 2023. The Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton gun incident is still one of the unexpected incidents in sports.