“They [media and people surrounding the infamous Washington Wizards firearms incident] created chaos. And unfortunately, it ended up in a bad way for the both of us.” What Javaris Crittenton had to say upon his reunion with Gilbert Arenas on Agent Zero’s podcast made it seem their bond was real. So was it all on the surrounding atmosphere that led to their fallout? Well, even if they blame someone else for the latter part of their case, their fallout began because of their own issues. However, it had all started with great admiration and mutual respect. So what changed?

The revelations came to light in the recently released Netflix Documentary titled Untold: Shooting Guards. In his first two seasons in the league itself, Javaris had already played for two different teams–the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies–before finding his way to the Washington Wizards. Despite his subpar start to the league, it was probably his impressive college statline of 14.4 points and 5.8 assists that made the Wizards consider him.

When JC landed with the Wizards in season 2009, Agent Zero was already in his 8th season of leading the Wizards. During that time, he had earned titles like Most Improved Player, 3 All-Star appearances, and some other accolades. Naturally, Javaris sort of admired the 3x All-Star. Surprisingly, the feeling was mutual, as revealed by Crittenton on Untold: Shooting Guards. “When I came in Gil took a liking to me. I took a liking to him too, like, ‘Dang, dude is cool,'” he said.

In fact, Gilbert Arenas even made a heartfelt gesture for the new guy on the team while watching him, from the sidelines, working out in a practice session. Even Agent Zero recalls the moment to this day. “I was like, ‘Yo, what size do you wear?’ He’s like, ’13’. Hey, here [gestures taking off his own shoes], keep killing,” Gil recalled, adding that he was no less than an “automatic big brother” to Javaris. “Come on to the family. What do you need?”

Crittenton himself admitted he, too, “looked up to” Arenas because of all the love and support he received from the 3x All-Star. But then what changed? Well, something on the lines of what Crittenton had already been warned about. “They [people around him] said, “Don’t get caught up in Gil’s antics.” I’m almost like “What antics?” They was like… “You’ll see,” he revealed on the Netflix Documentary.

As it turns out, Gil was the jokester of the team. He would, at times, act silly and goofy, admitting he would turn it on around his teammates. But not everything he did flew by everyone that easily. In the documentary itself, there was a clip where Arenas was goofing around, calling Crittenton Kong and Ugly. All in good humor? On Gil’s part, maybe. But Javaris was not enjoying it. “I know he’s super goofy, but you know it’s just certain stuff… Like, I’m not going for certain stuff… I’ve never been in a locker room where people play like that. That’s highly disrespectful,” he said in the documentary.

There was even a clip of the two stars getting in a scuffle because of Gilbert Arenas messing around with Crittenton. While they were untangled in no time, Javaris had minor bleeding on his forehead. The situation between the two had gotten out of hand.

And in no time would come the conflict that resulted in one of the most infamous incidents of firearms in the league. Something that made Gil face a 50-game suspension, while Javaris was never able to find his way back to the league. Even worse, his life went further downhill after he was charged for the fatal shooting of Jullian Jones. Seemingly, the incident in the Washington Wizards locker room started a domino effect of bad things for Crittenton. Surprisingly, he was still reunited with Arenas years after the whole incident between them.

Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton Blamed the Escalation of Their Fallout on the Surrounding Circumstances

Over ten years after their infamous locker room episode, Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton finally faced each other again—this time not as teammates but as two men unpacking a moment that spiraled beyond their control. Their April 2023 reunion on Gil’s Arena offered something rare: honesty without filters.

“It’s crazy because even though we were going through that situation, we were still talking — even though the lawyers were like, ‘Oh, don’t talk to him right now.’ We were still doing our thing,” Gil explained. Crittenton agreed, adding, “Yeah, we were still communicating, man. It’s messed up how it all played out. If people could’ve just seen the truth … And not twisted stories. Because you know negativity sells. Drama sells. And so they did their job.” But Javaris’ thoughts dug deeper. “They created chaos. And unfortunately, it ended up in a bad way for the both of us. But if they had painted the truth, I think everything would’ve went completely different…”

For anyone who followed the headlines back then, this conversation was a hint that not everything was as it seemed. The bond between the two was real, but the world saw only a sensationalized version. Maybe if things had played out differently, so would have Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crtittenton’s future in the league.