Locker Room Duels Starring Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas, always ready to shoot

We begin 2010 with a late-breaking contender for Most Niggative Moment of 2009.

Last week it was reported that NBA star Gilbert Arenas was caught with guns in his locker. That seemed strange, but the story gets more bizarre.

Thanks to a New York Post exclusive, we now know Arenas pulled a gun on teammate Javaris Crittendon on Christmas Eve 2009. What’s worse, Crittendon pulled out a gun in response. The near-shootout was the result of a gambling debt Arenas owed Crittendon. Needless to say, this is unprecedented in team sports.

This is not how NBA Commissioner David Stern wanted to begin 2010. The league has suffered from bad publicity since 2004, when a fight between two teams spilled over into the stands. Last year, former referee Tim Donaghy served prison time for gambling on games and recently wrote a book on corruption in the NBA. One of the players involved in the 2004 melee, Ron Artest, admitted to drinking during halftime of games.

At the minimum, Stern should suspend Arenas and Crittendon for the rest of the season without pay. This is worse than the Latrell Sprewell choking incident because that was a random event. Arenas and Crittendon premeditated their actions, otherwise they wouldn’t have brought guns to the locker room in the first place.

With this level of dysfunction, it’s not surprising the Washington Wizards are one of the worst teams in the NBA after being picked as playoff contenders in the pre-season.

And what’s with Arenas owing a debt? He signed a $111 million contract in 2008, how could he not have the money to pay Crittendon?