There was a time when Gilbert Arenas was arguably the most exciting player and dynamic scorer in the NBA, but those days are long gone. Instead, in recent years, the man we once lovingly referred to as Agent Zero and Hibachi has become a punchline and even a cautionary tale for high profile and extremely wealthy athletes because of his questionable, often-offensive behavior and, of course, that whole gun incident.
Sadly, Arenas is a once-in-a-generation talent whose legacy will be defined by his pathetic opinion of the WNBA, the way he rips off strip clubs, the time he trashed his ex’s Mercedes, and obviously that albatross of a contract given to him by the Washington Wizards, and later acquired by the Orlando Magic.
On Monday, that contract finally expires, as the Orlando Magic will issue Arenas one last paycheck from the original 6-year, $111 million deal (which was paid out over eight years). The Magic traded for Arenas in December of 2010, shipping the team’s similarly awful contract for Rashard Lewis to the Wizards in return. For both teams, it was a last-ditch effort to salvage some talent from these overpaid one-time scoring stars, but Hibachi’s time in Orlando would be short-lived — he spent just under a year with the Magic — and punctuated by the franchise making him the first player axed under the 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement’s amnesty clause.
Still, there were some incredible moments in Arenas’ career that are being overshadowed by the negative aspects, and some of his former teammates still talk about him with incredible esteem.
Via The Washington Post:
“Oh my gosh,” said Antonio Daniels, who spent four years as Arenas’s teammate with the Wizards, serving as his both his backup and daily competition in practice. “People don’t get it. People don’t get it. I mean that like, that dude was so good. He was so talented. Out of my 13-year career, as far as talent goes, Gilbert was probably the most talented guy I ever played with. I’m talking about pure talent.
“I played with Tim Duncan and David Robinson and Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace and Shareef Abdul-Rahim. But I’m talking about pure talent. Tim was the best player I’ve ever played with, but he wasn’t the most talented. … There was nothing Gilbert couldn’t do. He could shoot from halfcourt like he was shooting a free throw. He was fast, he was strong, he could handle the ball … people don’t understand how offensively talented Gilbert Arenas was.”
From offensively talented to just plain offensive. Even worse, the headlines that still include his name aren’t about what he did on the court or for his community, but instead about how he can’t afford private school for his kids anymore, or how he had to sell his $3.5 million home. Poor guy. That is, unless he invests this one last paycheck wisely.
In the meantime, let’s remember when Arenas was basketball’s version of the action star who walked away from the explosion like it was nothing.
