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Think back to last decade. Did you have any unfulfilled compulsion to learn every detail of Gilbert Arenas' life? No? Too bad. It looks like we're going to get everything anyway.In the increasingly bizarre saga of Arenas' fall from grace in Washington, the revelations of this excellent Washington Post piece seem almost like footnotes. But consider how odd it would be for any other star NBA player with a nine-digit contract to be involved in any one of the following, and how normal it seems for Arenas to have done all three:
Arenas, a notorious practical joker, often crossed the line of acceptable decorum. The example often cited was how Arenas once defecated in teammate Andray Blatche's shoe during Blatche's rookie season.
After former Wizard Awvee Storey and Arenas got into a wrestling match during practice two years ago, Arenas promised revenge. Posing as his teammate on the road, he entered Storey's hotel room, copied his car key and express-mailed the key back to the District, where his friend promptly put Storey's car up on blocks in the arena garage. When Storey returned to the locker room, ashen-faced over the theft of his wheels, Arenas rolled one of his rims across the locker room.
He had apparently scripted an even more elaborate -- and uncouth -- opening for the next night in Cleveland, in which he would affect a gimp-legged walk like John Wayne and draw at 10 paces with (Nick) Young, his also-playful teammate.
That's a juvenile prank, a prank that involved grand theft auto, fraud, and breaking and entering, and the sort of stupendously awful judgment in the name of humor that has been Arenas' hallmark. And yet the story also alleges that Arenas was sometimes fined by the Wizards -- then had his money returned. Such is the life of the guy with a journeyman's sense of the world and franchise-fixture talent.
This is a story that will not end for a while. It is a story that with fascinate and flummox in equal measure. And it is a story that is as unique to Gilbert Arenas as Arenas was unique in the NBA's culture.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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Hardly anything says humor like the old crap in the shoe trick. Is this guy 13 years old? I wonder how he feels now that everyone is laughing at him for being such a dumbazz. Hope he saved his money because he won’t be making any for a while. Now the shoe’s on the other foot.
by gabeaux on Jan 10, 2010 5:40 PM EST reply actions
"CRAP" seems to be the key word in his life, which seems to be going down the toilet. As far as his money is concerned "FLUSH" will be a key word before long.
by snowhill on Jan 10, 2010 8:08 PM EST reply actions
I think the poop in the shoe is funny as long as it doesn’t happen to me, but he’s an idiot. These athletes get paid soo much money and they’re so stupid!
by xHxKxDx on Jan 10, 2010 8:50 PM EST reply actions
God I can’t wait for the book
by cjbassett on Jan 10, 2010 9:03 PM EST reply actions
Why CJ? Paper for the outhouse.
by snowhill on Jan 10, 2010 9:58 PM EST reply actions
He acts like he came to the NBA straight out of high school.
by bored_sports on Jan 11, 2010 1:00 AM EST reply actions
When you go back to the days when players played because they loved the game and were good at it, the game was much better. There was alot less drama and the kids didnt idolize thug wannabe’s.
The idolized Bird, Parrish, Johnson, McHale, Jabbar, etc. they werent perfect off the court but they werent these jacka$$’s. The sooner the owners and coaches start getting players that dont chock the coach, fight in the locker room regularly, get in shoot outs at the "club" at 3:00 am, have a 20 man "posse", bring guns to the game, beat the **** out of there "baby mama", speak ebonics better than english, etc. the game will be fun to watch again.
by iamwhoiam on Jan 11, 2010 9:03 AM EST reply actions
iamwhoiam – They did fight, locker room and on court (ask Rudy T), they constantly cheated (and still do) on their wives, and really, who else knows. We know LT (different sport, but still, anyone think NBA was that different??) was doing coke/crack at halftime. Artest was drinking. Stop living in the past, the players are just about the same, with more exposure. There are more of them, and cameras are everywhere.
The "good old days," argument is naive and ignorant.
by AW78 on Jan 11, 2010 10:24 AM EST reply actions
Oh yeah, Gilbert (nerdiest name ever) is an idiot, but not an evil criminal.
by AW78 on Jan 11, 2010 10:24 AM EST reply actions
AW you are right. we tend to forget the "bad" from the past out of self preservation. Who can forget Kareem sucker punching Kent Benson and breaking his jaw. What has probably changed is the "Me First" overall attitude that mirrors the world we live in. Things will continue to change gradually and 20 years from now people will be remembering those great players of the early century.
by snowhill on Jan 11, 2010 1:32 PM EST reply actions
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