Gilbert Arenas recently shared how he threw a million-dollar party for his 25th birthday back in 2007 in response to Adidas’ statement claiming he wasn’t popular at the time. The interesting part, however, was that the host for this party was none other than Sean Combs, aka Puff Daddy.
“I went up to a marketing group in DC,” said Arenas while discussing his strategy to increase his popularity in an episode of The Underground Lounge. “I was like, ‘Throw your shirt off. Tuck my shirt into my boxers.”
While discussing the other strategies he had with the panel, Arenas added, “And then that’s when I did the party. The Big 25 party.”
Lou Williams then asked Arenas who he threw the party with. Arenas receded into his chair as Nick Young said, “Little Diddy.”
“It was Puffy Combs at the time!” responded Arenas. “Puff Daddy. It was the Combs. It was the New York one. It wasn’t the LA guy.”
He continued to narrate the series of events leading up to the party. From conversations with Lil Wayne about getting someone for the door to talking about getting Jay-Z or Beyonce to host, Arenas finally decided to have Puff Daddy host the party.
“I hit Puff up, and then he charged me 200. Once I got his name as the host, Lil Wayne, Game, T.I., everybody. I made it private. Everybody and their mama wanted to be there.”
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Arenas wouldn’t be the first player to be linked with Sean Combs in some capacity. With players such as LeBron James frequently associated with the rapper, it is safe to say that he was closely linked with the NBA fraternity. With the rapper’s illicit activities coming to light, however, it is evident why anyone would try to deny any association with him.
Nevertheless, the party’s success was enormous as it led to Gilbert Arenas finishing above Vince Carter in the All-Star votes that season. The effect of this was also felt by Adidas, as they willingly offered him a five-million-dollar deal. Unfortunately, Arenas added at the end of the segment that his antics at the time caused the deal to fall through.
Before his infamous gun incident back in 2009, Arenas was one of the most lethal offensive players in the NBA. Between 2003 and 2008, the guard was a prolific scorer for the Washington Wizards. With an average of 25.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in that period, he earned himself three All-Star nods as well as three All-NBA selections.
Unfortunately, Arenas’ career was heavily impacted by the incident. Although he returned the following season, he was a shadow of the player he had been before. He eventually went on to have short stints with the Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies before retiring from the NBA in 2012.
