True Super star of the 2000s, Gilbert Arenas celebrates (only) his 42nd birthday today. Retired from the NBA courts for more than ten years, “Agent Zero” experienced a period of domination as fleeting as it was intense, between injuries and bloodshed. Nevertheless, the career of this formidable pyromaniac is full of anecdotes, each one more delicious than the last.
Like the one referring to his signature in Washington, which is almost an urban legend.
We are then in the summer of 2003. Having just been elected “Most Improved Player” with the Warriors, even though he was only a “sophomore” (like Kevin Johnson in 1989 and Monta Ellis in 2007), Gilbert Arenas has the ability to sign wherever he wants, given his status as the 31st pick in the 2001 Draft.
Obviously, at the end of a 2002/03 exercise where he averaged 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.5 interceptions, 43% on shots, 35% on 3-pointers and 79% on free throws, there is no shortage of contenders and, in addition to the Warriors, there are two to catch the leader's attention: the Clippers and the Wizards. Or teams coming out of a lackluster season and frankly not historically renowned for their collective success.
Nervous, Gilbert Arenas struggled to sleep in the days before signing his first big contract. That he would not initial whatever happened with Golden State, since the Bay franchise was quickly dismissed by the player, due to an offer that did not live up to his expectations and heated negotiations.
Only the proposals from Los Angeles and Washington remained on the table.
Ten throws to a destination
Present in California, at his agent's house, after spending the night playing on the console, “Agent Zero's” heart is unsteady. With disheveled hair and shaggy beard, he doesn't know which team to turn to. Suddenly, an idea comes to him: decide “heads or tails”! Heads for the Wizards, tails for the Clippers. And, after ten throws, his decision would be made… but not in the way imagined.
Because, out of these ten tosses, the coin fell eight times on the heads side and only twice on the tails side. Except that Gilbert Arenas preferred to choose Washington (heads), rather than Los Angeles (heads)!
“ I always go against the odds and odds. So when the Clippers fell eight times, I figured I'd go the opposite direction, against [de ces résultats] “, he justified himself at the time, landing a lease worth $64 million over six years in the American capital. And this, despite his problems with the justice system in San Francisco, for (already) firearms issues.
An anecdote which in any case fits perfectly with the idea we have of Gilbert Arenas, who would become a three-time All-Star under the colors of the Wizards. A fantastic character of the 2000s, never short of efforts to progress, and even less of flashy declarations, he brilliantly knew how to take over from Michael Jordan in Washington, to finally bring the franchise back to the playoffs, two years after his arrival.
