Agent Zero, Crittenton are suspended for final 38 games of schedule
Wizards guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were suspended by the NBA for the remainder of the season on Wednesday for their Dec. 21 locker room incident, which involved guns being displayed by both players.
NBA commissioner David Stern announced his decision after meeting with Arenas on Wednesday at league headquarters in New York. Crittenton met with Stern on Tuesday.
“The issue here is not about the legal ownership and possession of guns, either in one’s home or elsewhere,” said Stern in a statement. “It is about possession of guns in the NBA workplace, which will not be tolerated.”
Arenas pled guilty to a felony gun charge on Jan. 15 after bringing four firearms into the Wizards locker room two days after a dispute with Crittenton over a card game on a team flight from Phoenix to Washington on Dec. 19. He will be sentenced on March 26.
Crittenton pled guilty to one misdemeanor gun possession charge on Monday and was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation and $1,250 in fines.
Arenas has missed 12 games since Stern suspended him indefinitely on Jan. 6 — which also was Arenas’ 28th birthday — after Arenas repeatedly made light of the incident, including a pregame stunt on Jan. 5 in which he pretended to shoot his teammates with his fingers. Crittenton, a reserve guard who is injured, has not played this season.
In a statement, the Wizards said the team understood and fully supported the NBA’s decision.
“Both players violated D.C. laws and NBA rules by bringing guns into the locker room,” the statement said. “Their poor judgment has also violated the trust of our fans and stands in contrast to everything Abe Pollin stood for throughout his life.”
Arenas, who has four seasons remaining on a 6-year, $111 million contract, is forfeiting about $147,200 per game over the 50 total games he will miss. Crittenton will lose about $13,435 per game. He was slated to make $1.48 million this year and become a free agent at the end of the season.
According to reports, the Wizards had not decided whether they would attempt to void the remainder of Arenas’ contract.
