New Jersey Nets' Devin Harris estimates 75% of NBA players own guns

Javaris Crittenton

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

Arenas: Bringing guns to locker room was 'bad judgment'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Gilbert Arenas said Saturday he used "bad judgment" in bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room. He also denied that he gambles and said there are misconceptions in the various stories about a dispute between himself and teammate Javaris Crittenton.

As for the rest, he said he'll tell it to authorities on Monday.

Arenas spoke following the Wizards' 97-86 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. His remarks came after two days of reports about the investigation into the guns he kept at the Verizon Center -- and about an hour after the family of late Wizards owner Abe Pollin said it was "extremely poor judgment" that the guns were there in the first place.

"I agree," Arenas said. "That's bad judgment on my part to store them in here, and I take responsibility for that."

Arenas skirted other questions about the matter. Two officials within the league who have been briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Saturday that it involves a dispute over card-playing gambling debts and a heated discussion in the locker room. Neither official was told of Arenas and Crittenton actually drawing guns on each other -- as the New York Post has reported.

Both officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Asked about guns being drawn, Arenas said: "I can't speak on that. But if you know me, you've been here, I've never did anything (involving) violence. Anything I do is funny -- well, it's funny to me."

Asked if the accounts of what happened have been blown out of proportion, Arenas laughed and said: "A little."

"I give money away for free," he said. "I think if I owed someone some money, I think I'd pay it up. I play poker on my phone or my computer. If I lose, I just reset the game. I don't gamble. I don't do anything like that."

Arenas said he was "not nervous at all" about the possible outcome of the investigation, but the implications are serious. What began with the NBA looking into a possible violation of its own rules has turned into a matter involving the U.S. Attorney's Office and District of Columbia police. The legal system, the league and the Wizards could take action if the allegations prove true.

Asked if he had met with law enforcement officials, Arenas said: "I deal with that on Monday. ... I've got to put it in their hands and tell the story and see what they say."

Arenas again stressed that he's "a jokester" and that nothing in his life is actually serious. Many of the comments he has made on the matter have been lighthearted.

"I'm a goof ball and that's what I am, so even doing something like this, I'm going to make fun of it and that's how I am," Arenas said. "Some people say I'm not taking it serious, but why be depressed at home when I can just make myself laugh?"

Crittenton has not played this season because of a foot injury and was not immediately available to reporters in the locker room after Saturday's game.

"We were friends before; we're friends now," Arenas said. "We don't have no problem."

Pollin died Nov. 24, and his family is running the team during the transition to a new ownership group. The late owner had little tolerance for player misbehavior, and he changed the team's name from Bullets in the 1990s because of the violent connotation.

"The fact that guns were brought to the Verizon Center is dangerous and disappointing and showed extremely poor judgment," the family's statement said. "Guns have absolutely no place in a workplace environment and we will take further steps to ensure this never happens again."

The Wizards said on Christmas Eve that Arenas stored unloaded firearms in a locked container in his locker, with no ammunition. Arenas said he wanted them out of the house after the birth of his latest child.

One of the officials who spoke to the AP offered further details on Saturday. The official said the dispute between Arenas and Crittenton began during a card game on the team's flight home from a West Coast road trip on Dec. 19, and the two players continued their dispute in the locker room when the team reconvened to practice on Dec. 21.

The nation's capital has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, and the NBA's collective bargaining agreement prohibits players from possessing firearms at league facilities or when traveling on any league business. Commissioner David Stern has said players should leave their guns at home and could levy substantial fines or suspensions, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Arenas has been suspended once before because of a gun-related matter. He sat out Washington's season opener in 2004 because he failed to maintain proper registration of a handgun while living in California in 2003 and playing for the Golden State Warriors.

Depending on the severity of the findings, the Wizards could invoke the morals clause found in standard NBA player contracts and attempt to void the remainder of the six-year, $111 million deal Arenas signed in the summer of 2008.

Such an option might be tempting because the Wizards have yet to get much of a return on the investment. Arenas missed all but two games last season as he recuperated from knee operations, and has struggled to adjust to new coach Flip Saunders' offense this season.

Arenas played Saturday despite a sore left knee. He finished with 23 points and eight assists as the Wizards loss their fourth in a row to drop to 10-21.

"My concern is only on the basketball court right now," Arenas said. "We're not performing the way we should."

Anthony, Billups both miss game vs. Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Denver forward Carmelo Anthony missed his first game of the season Saturday with a right knee contusion.

The Nuggets were also without point guard Chauncey Billups against the Utah Jazz. Billups did not dress and sat out for the fifth time in six games with a left groin strain.

Anthony is second in the league in scoring at 30 points per game. He had started all 32 games before going being put on the inactive list Saturday.

Celtics take on Raptors with thin starting lineup

BOSTON (AP) -- Boston coach Doc Rivers opened his pregame press conference by joking that he was going to see some court time. It's a sign of what his lineup looks like due to a recent run of injuries.

"I am playing tonight. Yes, I am," Rivers said.

The Celtics' "Big Three" was reduced to one Friday night against Toronto -- forward Ray Allen. Their usual starters were down by three -- with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo all sidelined.

Boston opened with two of its usual starters -- Allen and center Kendrick Perkins. J.R. Giddens made his first professional start at guard. Rasheed Wallace was the other forward and Tony Allen stepped in for Rondo at point guard.

When asked if there was any timeframe for his starters to return, Rivers said: "Rondo and Paul are first in line."

Pierce, who spoke with the media in the dressing room before the game, plans on returning to practice Monday. He has been sidelined since undergoing two minor procedures for an infection in his right knee -- one on Dec 23rd, the other on Christmas night.

"As long as the swelling continues to go down," said Pierce, whose knee was wrapped. "It goes down every day. It seems like every day there's some improvement. I don't want to go out and hobble around and try and force it. I want to get back when I'm ready."

Pierce said he's been riding a bike to continue his conditioning. It'll be his fifth game out of the lineup.

Rivers wasn't sure when Pierce will be able to play.

"Like I've said earlier with infections, we don't know how to treat that [timeframe]," he said. "We've never had that. Paul's 50-50 to practice on Monday."

Rivers also it's likely going to be "around 10 days" before Garnett -- sidelined with a sore right knee -- resumes practicing. It was Garnett's second straight game on the sidelines.

Last season, Garnett played in just four games in the final two months of the regular season and missed all of the playoffs.

Rondo was out with a sore left hamstring.

One bit of good news for the Celtics was that Glen Davis, listed as day-to-day with a sprained right ankle, was expected to play.

"I'm not worried about his ankle," Rivers said. "It's his conditioning."

Davis returned on Christmas Day at Orlando after missing the first 27 games following right thumb surgery.

Pacers' Murphy, Hansbrough out against Wolves

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Indiana Pacers forwards Troy Murphy and Tyler Hansbrough missed Saturday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves because of injuries.

Murphy sat out with a sprained left ankle he sustained Tuesday against Chicago, and his return date is uncertain. He is the Pacers' No. 2 scorer with 13.8 points per game and leads the team with 9.1 rebounds.

Hansbrough, a rookie, is out for the third straight game with an inner ear infection. He has been one of the team's top players off the bench, averaging 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds.

The Pacers already were short-handed, with Danny Granger (heel), Travis Diener (toe) and Jeff Foster (sore lower back) nursing injuries.