Imagine you enter your office, and one of your colleagues, instead of a good morning greeting, turns a gun on you. Err! Scary! Scary! End of the bond. Similarly, the NBA world has seen some of the most fiery friendships fallouts. When the adrenaline rushes and things get intense, a lot of things can and do go wrong. At such moments, even the most steadfast of friendships will end up with a crack. Think of the fallout between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, who later sorted things out. Or Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook turning from close as brothers to rivals after a change of teams. Even Shaq and Kobe had their battles. Sometimes it’s egos clashing, and other times it’s deeper wounds. But what happens when things go too far? Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton are the unfortunate answer to that. Their story isn’t just about pride, it’s about how one mistake can spiral out of control.
The fallout began in 2009 with a heated card game turned ugly. Both men, then teammates on the Wizards, brought guns into the locker room. While the two had been friends, in an unfortunate turn of events, Javaris ended up pulling a gun on Arenas. That moment forever altered their careers. In Untold: Shooting Guards, a Netflix documentary, they finally shared their sides. After such a huge incident, it makes one wonder how the two handled the aftermath. Have they moved on, or do the scars remain?
In the documentary, while Gilbert Arenas shared feeling discontented with how Javaris also ended up having to face harsh punishment, he is not taking all the credit for the situation. In his words, “I don’t feel guilty in the sense of, ‘this happened because of me.’” He pointed out how both he and Jaravis had made a choice, so it wasn’t entirely his fault for what transpired afterwards. He added, “I can’t take credit for him throwing a gun across. I can’t take credit for him pulling it out. I can’t take credit for that part of the story,” distancing himself from that part. But there’s nuance. He also admitted feeling regret about how his behavior affected Crittenton’s career.
Apr 7, 2012; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies point guard Gilbert Arenas (10) dribbles the ball up the court during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at the FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Dallas Mavericks 94-89. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-Imagn Images
“My responsibility that I got to take forward is how all my antics actually affected him,” He stated. Moreover, Javaris also shared his thoughts from the time the incident happened. He stated, “The old Gill, I felt like I couldn’t forgive him. I had a lot of pain and anger towards him.” But after 15 years since the incident, he doesn’t feel the same way. Calling Arenas a changed person now, he claimed, “Everything is genuine now, you know? So I’m thankful for the relationship that we have to this day.” While it was a rough road, there’s something valuable in what came after.
The documentary ended with Gilbert simply stating, “But, you know, if he needs me, I’ll just be here for him.” He has been there for Javaris before, and he plans to continue to do so even in the future, as he made the promise.
A friendship rebuilt through support: Gilbert Arenas’ loyalty to Javaris
Despite their infamous fallout over the 2009 locker room incident, Gilbert Arenas has always had Javaris Crittenton’s back. While the two players were embroiled in a highly publicized dispute that cost them both their careers, Arenas made it clear that their bond survived much longer than the headlines many times. “We talk once a week,” Arenas previously shared on the “I Am Athlete” podcast.
“It’s just like when we were teammates. ‘Man, what do you think about this series? What do you think about this series?’ … We just talk about basketball.” The conversation, he explained, was no different from their days as teammates, mostly revolving around basketball.
Arenas didn’t just support Javaris with words. When Crittenton’s mother needed neck surgery, Arenas stepped in with financial help. “He asked me [for money] because he knows I’m not going to hold it personal,” Arenas recalled. Even after the incident, when many distanced themselves from Crittenton, Arenas remained a steady presence, offering support when others wouldn’t.
Years later, even when Crittenton faced serious legal troubles, Arenas continued his support. “Because nobody wanted to f—- with him at that time. Like, even to this day, I send him cell phones if he needs a new cell phone,” he noted, revealing that he would send Crittenton cell phones if needed. The act wasn’t just about charity, it was about loyalty. The fallout of the incident was hard, and it ended up impacting both of them differently.
The ripple effect—How the incident altered both players’ paths
The infamous locker room altercation in 2009 changed the trajectory of both Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton’s careers. While Arenas eventually found a new path in media, the incident marked the beginning of a much darker road for Crittenton. In the documentary, Arenas pointed to a deeper reason behind the severe penalties they faced, suggesting that both players paid the price for more than just their actions in the locker room.
In the Netflix feature, Arenas acknowledged the disparity in how they were treated, explaining, “We didn’t get suspended for actual guns in the locker room. I’m getting 50 games for my behavior. It should have been a different penalty for him versus one for mine.” With what he believes to be the true reason for the suspension, Javaris shouldn’t have faced the same penalty. Arenas continued, “That locker room situation put him on a road that he was not expecting to be on or wanting to be on.” He also pointed out how, even now, years after the incident, they haven’t had a conversation around this.
On the other hand, Crittenton felt betrayed by his former teammate, believing that Arenas, as an experienced player, would have handled the situation differently. “I was mad at Gill, man, because I just felt like if he was in my position, if he was a young player on a rookie deal, he wouldn’t have been doing none of that sh*t,” Crittenton said, expressing his frustration with how things unfolded.
This incident didn’t just affect their careers, it sent Crittenton into a spiral of poor decisions. While Arenas was able to make a comeback to the big stage, Crittenton got the short end of the stick. After getting released by the Charlotte Bobcats before the regular season began, he tried his luck overseas in China with the Dakota Wizards in the NBA D-League, but things didn’t work out. Arenas once took the blame for how things turned for the worse for Jaravis. He had stated, “Our decisions that day ruined his life. That locker room situation put him on a road that he was not wanting to be on.”
But despite what happened, the two are not hung up on it and have remained friends over the years, continuing to rebuild a connection that was fractured by a moment of intense chaos. Their bond, forged through the challenges of their past.
The post Aftermath of Gun Incident Explained as Gilbert Arenas & Javaris Crittenton Reflect on Their Past 15Years Later appeared first on EssentiallySports.
