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Falling $3 Million Short of Gilbert Arenas for NBA’s ‘Unfortunate Honor’, 43 YO Ex Laker Shuns Haters While Rooting for “Athletes Getting Bags”

Published 09/16/2023, 11:50 AM EDT

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The culture of NBA players paying fines has always been a fascinating phenomenon. With fines ranging from a few thousand dollars to millions of dollars, the NBA makes sure to be strict with its penalty procedures. This strict system plays a crucial role in defining the “do’s” and the “do nots” of an NBA employee.

Gilbert Arenas holds the ‘unfortunate honor’ of the highest paid penalty by an NBA player. In a recent “X” post, a 43-year-old ex-Laker with a history of paying fines, shuns haters as he narrowly missed toppling Arenas’ record.

Metta Sandiford-Artest’s “Athletes Getting Bags” Tweet

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The former Lakers star is an NBA champion. However, he is popular for his volatile moments during his playing days in the NBA. From violently elbowing NBA players to being the aggressor in the infamous “Malice at the Palace” incident, Metta Sandiford-Artest was constantly paying huge fines for his actions.

In a recent “X” post, the ex-Laker says, “Rooting for all the athletes getting bags to create amazing generational wealth. Let’s not listen to haters and people with all these opinions. Free game for any athlete that is curious. We want the best for you.“.

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The NBA players are fined 1/110th of a season’s salary for each game they’re suspended, whether that’s during the regular season or the playoffs. Metta Sandiford-Artest’s vicious elbow, that dropped James Harden during the Lakers-OKC match, costed him a few thousand dollars. He was getting paid around $6.8 million for that particular season.

 

The highest fine paid by the ex-Laker was when he got into a physical brawl with NBA fans in the infamous “Malice in the Palace” incident. He was fined a whopping $4 million for his actions that night. However, he falls short by a few million dollars to Gilbert Arenas.

Gilbert Arenas’ Unfortunate NBA ‘Honor’

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Gilbert Arenas lost more than $7 million in the 2009-2010 season because of a gun-related suspension while he was playing for the Washington Wizards. On December 21 of the 2009-2010 NBA season, Gilbert Arenas did one of the most unpredictable things that is expected out of an NBA star.

He brought unloaded guns to the Wizards’ locker room and dared Javaris Crittenton (former teammate) to shoot him. The conflict was over a bet Crittenton had with JaVale McGee (former teammate). This was completely unacceptable behavior, which was never going to be condoned by the NBA.

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The Washington Wizards star was suspended from the NBA – indefinitely without pay. What are your thoughts on Meta Sandiford-Artest’s tweet and Gilbert Arenas’ ‘unfortunate honor’? Let us know in the comments below!

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Written by:

Akhil Chakravarthy

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Akhil is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been following the NBA for more than a decade and represented his state at the National level. To hone his understanding of the inner workings of the game, he closely follows the analysis of popular NBA insiders and reporters like Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania.
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Edited by:

Debmallya Chakraborty