Los Angeles, Jan 3 (DPA) An altercation that led to two team members of the Washington Wizards basketball team drawing guns on each other is under investigation by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and local police, the Washington Post reported.
The Post cited several sources close to the team who confirmed published reports that Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton reportedly pulled guns on each other in a dispute before a practice December 21.
The disagreement reportedly began two days earlier during a flight from Phoenix during which the players may have argued over money won and lost in a card game, the report said.
Arenas told the Washington Post that the players did not draw guns on each other, as the New York Post reported.
“That’s not the real story,” Arenas told the Washington Post at Friday’s practice. He would not confirm or deny that he had a disagreement with Crittenton, according to the report.
An unidentified Washington police official told the Washington Post that the report of the players pulling guns on each other was new information and would be added to their investigation.
Arenas previously admitted to bringing guns to the Verizon Center, where the Wizards practice and play, to remove them from his Virginia home after his third child was born December 9. The Wizards later acknowledged in a statement that Arenas had unloaded guns in a lock box in his locker that he eventually turned over to team security.
“Him bringing the guns to the locker room to keep away from his kids, that’s true,” Arenas’ father, Gilbert Arenas Sr, told the Washington Post. “Gil did not pull a gun on anybody. That’s about all I can say.”
Crittenton, a reserve guard who has not played this season due to an ankle injury, declined comment.
The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement prohibits players from having firearms on league property. CBSSports.com reported Dec 24 that the NBA was investigating possible firearms
possession violations by Arenas. The league is awaiting any findings by Washington police, which also is looking into possible violations.
“We are not taking any independent action at this time,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Friday in an email to the Washington Post.
“We take this situation and the ongoing investigation very seriously,” the Wizards said in a statement released Friday. “We are continuing to cooperate fully with the proper authorities and the NBA and will have no further comment at this time.”
Both Arenas and Crittenton could face heavy fines and suspensions from the NBA and possible prison time if the investigations find violations of league rules or city or federal laws. The nation’s capital has very strict laws regarding weapons possession and transportation.
Ironically, Wizards owner Abe Pollin changed the team’s nickname from Bullets in 1997 because he did not like its violent connotation. Pollin, who died in December, was a long-time confidant of NBA commissioner David Stern, who has taken an especially strong stance against player behavior involving weapons or violence.
Arenas was suspended for the 2004-05 season opener after pleading no contest to possessing a concealed weapon in his car in 2003, when he was with the Golden State Warriors.
After missing most of the last two seasons with knee injuries that have required multiple surgeries, Arenas is averaging 22.7 points and 6.9 assists this season. However, the Wizards are just 10-20, and Arenas is expected to miss Saturday night’s game vs San Antonio with a sore knee.
rounak