Gilbert Arenas spoke to VladTV about why he doesn’t think of himself as the greatest Washington Wizard ever. He noted that he did a good job with the franchise, as did others, but he never brought a championship to the city like Wes Unseld did in 1978. While Arenas helped the Wizards break their playoff drought and gave the city a star, in his mind, he isn’t the best player in the franchise’s history.
“The greatest Wizard ever? Nah… John Wall, this is before he left, but there’s John Wall, there’s Bradley Beal. But there Wes Unseld who won a championship, brought a championship to the city. I didn’t get a chance to do that. I got us out of a drought. I don’t consider myself a one-hit wonder of a talent there…”
“When I came I was what the city needed in that moment of time. They just got out of the Jordan bastion. It didn’t look like they were going to get any stars for a long time. And then I came out of the woodwork and put the city on my back and they embraced me for it. I got to enjoy the time I had there, but when it comes to the greatest Wizard? Nah.”
(Till 1:10)
Arenas clearly doesn’t think too highly of himself to the point where he starts bashing other players. His respect for Wes Unseld and his incredible accomplishment of winning a championship for the city of Washington. And while he wasn’t able to achieve the same, he does acknowledge how important he was to the city of Washington.
Gilbert Arenas Brought The Wizards Back To The Playoffs
Arenas joined the Wizards in 2003, after spending his first few seasons with the Warriors, who drafted him. The Wizards signed him to a six-year, $60 million contract to make him their franchise star. At the time, this decision was considered a bad idea, but it did pay off in the long run.
In his seven years with the Wizards, he ended up defying all expectations. He averaged 25.0 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds, 0.3 blocks, and 1.8 steals per game. Arenas would take the leap in 2005, becoming a regular All-Star and All-NBA player.
He made three All-Star teams, and three All-NBA teams during his stint with the Wizards. He was also responsible for the Wizards making the playoffs three times during his run. He even averaged 34.0 points per game during the 2006 playoffs, leading the entire NBA in scoring in that year’s playoffs.
During his tenure, the Wizards made it out of the first round once in 2005 but got swept by the Miami Heat in the second round. After that, in 2006 and 2008, the Wizards were eliminated in the first round by the LeBron James-led Cavaliers, putting an end to his playoff journey with the franchise.
Arenas unfortunately struggled with several injuries during his career, which significantly shortened his stint in the NBA. On top of that, the incident in 2009, where he admitted to storing an empty gun in the Wizards’ arena really soured the franchise and some fans on him.
He would leave the Wizards in 2010, being traded to the Orlando Magic, and only playing there for a year. He would sign his final contract in the NBA with the Grizzlies, playing only for two months till they got eliminated from the playoffs.
Arenas could have been an incredible star in the NBA. But because of his injuries, he was never able to reach the next level as a player. His injuries took a toll on him as a player, and it held him back. But there is no denying just how important he was to the Wizards franchise during the 2000s.
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