Untold's Next Documentary, 'Shooting Guards', Will Detail the Wizards Locker Room Gun Incident Between Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton

First off, A+ doc name from Untold here. Shooting Guards. Zero fat on that title. 

Watching the trailer, I'm realizing there's so much more to this story than I ever realized. Or at least have forgotten about. Not that I was too young to remember the incident. I felt like I remembered the incident pretty well. I remember it started with a card game. It's interesting that Gilbert Arenas in the trailer paints it as somewhat of a "prank war". I have a feeling Gilbert and I may have different definitions of the word "prank". But the details of what happened that day leading up to the incident, and the ripple effect it had on Crittenton's life, that I certainly do not recall. 

"You said you was gonna shoot me so I gave you guns"

"What I need yours for? I got mine."

What an exchange. The type of exchange that can ruin an NBA career if you're aren't as wet from three as Gilbert Arenas was. If Javaris Crittenton were an elite NBA scorer responsible for kids across America yelling. "Hibachi!" every time they threw a piece of trash into a wastebasket, maybe the fallout for him would have been different. 

Obviously Javaris Crittenton had some additional problems that led to his life taking such a dark turn. He was arrested for manslaughter after killing a 22-year old mother of four just two years after the locker room incident. The report states he accidentally shot her when attempting to shoot at a man who was robbing him. Clearly Javaris wasn't shy about escalating a situation to the point of gunplay. But still... it's crazy what you can get away with if you have enough talent. As my boss always says when people at Barstool complain about being treated differently than other employees – Manny Ramirez once threw a traveling secretary down a flight of stairs and was batting cleanup the next game. Javaris Crittenton never played an NBA game again. Gilbert Arenas was starting at PG as soon as his suspension was up.

I guess the rest of this blog could be considered a spoiler. I don't think you can really spoil something that's already happened in real life. But if you're saving learning more about the incident for the documentary, then stop reading now.

Reading into the incident, according to Caron Butler's memoir, the real hero of the situation was Caron Butler. Who amidst all the chaos, while the rest of his teammates fled for anywhere else but there, Caron Butler stayed behind in the locker room and managed to de-escalate the situation.

Bleacher Report - At that point, the other players in the locker room, outside of Butler, quickly fled, while coach Flip Saunders remained locked in his office. Butler stayed, per his account, convincing Crittenton that he would ruin his career and likely his life if he pulled the trigger. Crittenton lowered the gun while Arenas quietly removed himself from the scene.

Although Gilbert Arenas disputes Butler's account of the story. I imagine we'll get Arenas' full side in the documentary. Not that he hasn't talked about it before.

Gilbert Arenas seems like a fairly well-adjusted guy nowadays. But leaving 4 guns on a teammates chair with a note that says "pick one"… my god. The more you read about the incident, the more "fun" quotes you'll find.

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SI - "I was like, 'Javaris, I will burn your car, while you're in it. Then we'll find an extinguisher to help ya ass out,'" Arenas said. "And he says, 'Well, I'll just shoot you then.' I said, 'Man, I'll bring you the guns to shoot me!'"

Arenas brought four unloaded guns to the Wizards locker room two days later as a "joke," according to The Action Network.

"It was about me calling his bluff," Arenas said. "You say you're going to shoot me? Fine, I'll bring you the guns to do it."

Crittenton pulled out a loaded gun and pointed it at Arenas, scaring the other players in the locker room. The rest of the team ran and left Arenas and Crittenton alone in the locker room.

Pretty psychotic, Gilbert. I mean… it's also kinda badass. And kinda hilarious. But psychotic, unhinged, aggressively fucking stupid, all those words come to mind as well. 

And now we'll hear Javaris Crittenton's side juxtaposed along with it. Javaris was released from prison in April 2023 after serving 8 years of what was originally a 23-year manslaughter sentence. The Untold series has produced some good documentaries. It's produced some stinkers too. But I've got decently high hopes for this one. Gilbert Arenas doesn't strike me as a guy who's going to hold back any information. And if we're getting Crittenton's side of the story as well, then at least we're getting the accounts of both parties. Fingers crossedl it won't be horrible. Like the Urban Meyer Florida Gators one. Or the Steve McNair one that gave us nothing new. Or the embarrassingly bad BALCO steroids doc. God that one stunk. I guess in hindsight, maybe the Untold series hasn't always been the best. But I'm hopeful Shooting Guards will be solid. As long as both sides are honest with their recounting of the incident, it's gotta be at least halfway interesting.