An incident involving Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas in which he allegedly drew a firearm on a teammate has set off a firestorm of opinion among current NBA players, who tell of a flourishing gun culture in the NBA. If true, it could spell trouble for NBA commissioner David Stern, who is still smarting from former referee Tim Donaghy's admission that he bet on games.
Reached after practice Friday, Nets guard Devin Harris shed light on a potentially frightening situation for the NBA. He estimated that as many as 75% of players in the league own guns.
"I mean, look at the situation," said Harris, who added that he does not own a gun. "A lot of guys have been robbed. A couple of guys, God rest their souls, have passed away. I guess they feel like they need some sort of protection, I don't know. I can't speak for everybody. I'd say between 60 and 75% (of players own guns)."
Nets teammate Jarvis Hayes, who played with Arenas in Washington from 2003-07, agreed with Harris' estimate - and he's among the NBA players who pack heat.
"Yeah, I have (a gun)," Hayes said. "It's in Atlanta, not here."
The Metropolitan Police Department in the District of Columbia and the United States Attorney's office are investigating the circumstances surrounding Arenas, a three-time All-Star, and his admission that he brought unloaded firearms to store in a container in his locker last month; the investigation also involves the claim that Arenas drew a weapon during a disagreement with teammate Javaris Crittenton last week.
D.C. Police Chief Kathy Lanier said detectives have been assigned to investigate and report back to prosecutors on whether criminal charges should be filed in accordance with the city's stringent gun laws.
The dispute involving Arenas and Crittenton, the 19th pick in the 2007 draft, allegedly arose from a gambling debt that Arenas owed - $25,000, according to TNT. Arenas, who signed a six-year, $111 million contract in 2008, apparently owed Crittenton an untold sum of money. The two engaged in a standoff before practice in the team's locker room - reports say it occurred on either Dec. 21 or Dec. 24 - during which Arenas allegedly drew his weapon first and Crittenton countered by drawing his.
But Arenas, 27, in essence denied the reports Friday on Twitter, first tweeting, "I wake up this morning and seen I was the new John Wayne. ... Media is too funny."
Then, in a later post, he wrote, "I understand this is serious ... but if u ever met me you know I don't do serious things I'm a goofball."
The NBA is keeping an eye on the situation and is waiting to see how the authorities respond. The Wizards, for their part, issued a statement saying that the team takes "this situation and the ongoing investigation very seriously. We are continuing to cooperate fully with the proper authorities and the NBA and will have no further comment at this time."
The NBA's collective bargaining agreement permits players to legally possess firearms, but not at league facilities.
"There is an active investigation by D.C. law-enforcement authorities, which we are monitoring closely," a league spokesman told the Daily News Friday. "We are not taking any independent action at this time."
Arenas told reporters last week that he had stockpiled firearms in his locker to get them away from his newborn daughter at his home in Great Falls, Va., and that he had handed them over to league security. He didn't refer to the alleged standoff with Crittenton in the conversation.
Arenas pled guilty in 2003 to misdemeanor charges of carrying a concealed weapon in San Francisco, and he was suspended for Washington's home opener in 2004 for the incident.
With Richard Sisk
Posts
