NBA Players Nearly Have Gunfight Over Poker Game

Gun-happy teammates Crittenton and Arenas (photo courtesy of CNP)

Washington Wizards basketball pro Gilbert Arenas was recently busted for having handguns in his locker room. But even as the scandal was brewing, there were rumors that he’d done a lot worse than just hidden a couple of guns at the stadium. And now sources have revealed the true story behind this growing scandal. According to insiders, teammates Javaris Crittenton and Arenas pointed guns at each other in the locker room, in a dispute over a $25,000 poker debt between the two players.

The story is that Arenas and Crittenton played a high-stakes poker game aboard the team jet on the way back from a game in Phoenix. Crittenton won $25,000 off Arenas, but the veteran refused to pay the 3rd year pro. Two days later, the dispute heated up in the team locker room, culminating in Arenas taking three handguns out of his locker and telling Crittenton to choose one. Reports say they wound up each holding a gun and pointing them at each other. But cooler heads prevailed, and the situation calmed down without either man firing a shot.

Arenas has bragged openly for years that he often engages in high-stakes Hold ‘Em games against his teammates. They frequently play on the team jet while on road trips, and Arenas has even played online poker in the locker room during half time of NBA games.

Leage, team and law enforcement officials are all investigating the alleged incident. The team has stated that it will wait for the results of the legal investigation before determining what kind of punishment to dish out to the two players. But with both local and federal law enforcement taking the situation very seriously, it seems likely to be a long time before Arenas sees the hardwood again.