Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas is an All-Star guard for the Washington Wizards. Although he was drafted in the second round by the Golden State Warriors, Arenas managed to become one of the NBA's top players, winning the Most Improved Player Award in 2003.

The 2005-06 season was a career year for Arenas as he averaged nearly 30 points per game. He continued his success the following season, establishing himself as one of the leagues best players in the clutch.

Arenas missed all but eight games during the 2007-2008 season due to a knee injury. He returned in time for the playoffs, but was advised by doctors so sit out for the remainder of the playoffs due to his injury.

On January 6, 2010, Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitely without pay by the NBA for pointing his fingers in a gun imitation at his teammates before the game at Philadelphia. It was also caused by an earlier incident where Arenas brought guns into the Wizards' locker room. At that time, the federal and local authorities have launched an investigation on Arenas. [1]

As reported by ESPN.com, on January 14, 2010, Gilbert Arenas has been charged with a felony due to the guns incident. It has also been reported that a plea agreement has been reached. Consequently, Arenas would receive little or no jail time. If convicted, he would receive a maximum five years jail time and a fine. [2]

A copy of the document on the charges has been made available by ESPN.com. [3]

On January 28, 2010, the NBA Commissioner David Stern suspended Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for the remainder of the season. Arenas has agreed not to appeal the punishment.[4]

On March 26, 2010, it was reported that Arenas must spend 30 days in a halfway house.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jQfxESNWnZS1NspqMDvfXjRQfRXgD9EMHQL80 The ruling—issued by the District of Colombia Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin—comes after his recent conviction for gun-related charges that resulted from a dispute Arenas had in the locker-room with a fellow teammate.

Arenas entered a guilty plea earlier this year, on December 21. The incident in question occurred at the Verizon Center and involved an argument concerning alleged unpaid gambling debt that Arenas had acquired. Arenas is reported to have brought several hand guns into the team locker room and told teammate Javaris Crittenton to "PICK 1".http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jQfxESNWnZS1NspqMDvfXjRQfRXgD9EMHQL80 The words were apparently written by Arenas directly on Crittenton's locker.

On May 7, 2010, Arenas was released from the halfway house after 1 month stay. For the next part of his sentence, he would be under the supervision of Virginia Department of Corrections. He will also need to report to the Fairfax County Office of Probation and Parole. [1]

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan came up with the term "Gilbertology" to describe Arenas' odd behavior on and off the court. Several stories have come out about Arenas playing video poker during halftime of games, cheating at Halo 3 online, and eating 12 cheeseburgers on a roadtrip. Arenas also has his own blog hosted by NBA.com. Arenas has said that he wears the number 0 because a coach once told him that was the number of minutes he would play in college.

On September 17, 2008, it was reported that Arenas had a third operation on his left knee. The surgery removed debris from his ailing knee. He is expected to miss the first month of the 2008-2009 NBA season.ESPN.com: Arenas has knee suregry, says he'll be back in December(September 17, 2008)