By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty
Untold: Shooting Guards focuses on the gun locker room incident between former players Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton in 2009 when they were playing for the Washington Wizards.
In this episode of the Untold series, you also get to know the personal life and background of Arenas and Crittenton. You get to see more of Crittenton than Arenas because his story has more depth, and he is less known compared to Arenas, who was a star in the NBA.
Javaris grew up in Atlanta. He didn’t grow up with a male presence; women mostly surrounded him in his family. Gilbert grew up with his dad and without a mom. He developed his love for basketball from his dad, whom he looked up to.
Arenas is a person who can be very playful. At times, he can go too far, but he also uses it to test you. He doesn’t take things too seriously. In Javaris’ case, it’s different. He doesn’t tolerate disrespect and is not the playful type.
Peter Vecsey became a focal point in this episode because he reported the story about the gun incident. Peter had access to sources that provided him with information. Someone from the Wizards organization gave Vecsey information, which upset Arenas to the point where he wanted to know who the snitch was.
When the story hit the airwaves, it became a top story. Former NBA commissioner David Stern handed down a 50-game suspension to the two players. It hurt Javaris more than Gil because Javaris was on a rookie deal.
Javaris aspired to be a top NBA player, but this incident ended his career. He became depressed. His problems didn’t stop there, as more dark moments would come upon him.
A human being must think about it a thousand times before doing something or going somewhere. One of the mistakes Crittenton made was to go back to Atlanta. He became a target. He got armed robbed not once but twice. Showing off his necklace, watch, and earrings was another mistake because that’s drawing attention to yourself.
The biggest mistake he made in life after the NBA was his responsibility for what happened to the 22-year-old mother, Julian Jones. Crittenton was initially sentenced to 23 years in prison, but he served only 10 years.
The district attorney’s office made the deal without considering the Jones family. The deal blindsided them.
God has given Javaris a second chance in life, and hopefully, he doesn’t screw things up again and become a much better human being for the rest of his life.
Gilbert and Javaris have not spoken about the incident to this day, and they have stayed in contact once in a blue moon. Javaris feels like Gilbert has matured and appreciated him for checking up on him.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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