Gilbert Arenas Doesn’t Think His Situation Was The Same As Ja Morant’s: “I’ve Never Gotten Suspended For Guns In The Locker Room.”

Gilbert Arenas says his 50-game suspension from the NBA wasn't for bringing a gun into the locker room.

4 Min Read

Credit: Fadeaway World

After Ja Morant got himself into trouble with the NBA over his gun incident, there was speculation on what punishment he might receive from the league.

His situation drew comparisons to when Gilbert Arenas ended up being suspended for 50 games for his gun incident, but Arenas says his suspension was not for bringing guns into the locker room.

“I’ve never gotten suspended for guns in the locker room,” Arenas said. “I guess they’re using 50 games as the benchmark because that was what I got. The real story is, I got bullied into 50 games. What I got suspended for was detrimental to the team because when the media was attacking me, like Ja, I was reacting emotionally. Like you are attacking my character not knowing what the f*** was going on and I was acting out. So I got suspended for mental issues.”

So the NBA was somewhat trying to save him from himself by ensuring he wasn’t interacting with the media. Arenas then made a claim that then-commissioner David Stern threatened to come after his contract if he didn’t accept the suspension.

“I was suspended indefinitely until furthermore, ‘until we evaluate the situation’,  but all it was was to get me out of the media because the story was too big for one or two games. (Commissioner David Stern) said, ‘You’re going to take 50 games or I’m going to come after your contract.’ At the time, I had just lost my Adidas deal and then he’s saying I’m going to take your contract if you try to fight this, I mean that’s a decision I had to make.”

Arenas had no choice but to accept the punishment, as it could have gotten even worse for him if he had tried to fight the NBA on the matter. He claims Stern basically strong-armed him into accepting the 50-game suspension.

As for what Arenas had done, he had brought unloaded firearms into the Washington Wizards locker room in 2009. It was then reported that he and teammate Javaris Crittenton had also drawn guns at each other during an argument. Arenas was carrying that pistol without a license as well and was sentenced to two years of probation and 30 days in the halfway house after being convicted of his crimes. He spoke about the consequences of the incident recently, stating that people worldwide judged him on that one mistake.


The Potential Length Of Ja Morant’s Suspension

Morant could also find himself in trouble with the authorities, as Colorado police have started investigating the incident. He could also spend up to 10 years in jail if he is charged with carrying a gun on an aircraft.

As for what the league will do, NBA insider Marc Stein had initially stated that carrying a firearm on a team plane would result in an automatic 50-game suspension as per NBA rules. He later corrected himself and said the duration of the suspension is decided by the commissioner, so it comes down to how severely Adam Silver wants to punish Morant here.

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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