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 In his January 5th suspension of Gilbert Arenas, NBA commissioner David Stern cited “ongoing conduct” which led him to conclude the Washington Wizards player was “not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game.” Stern’s action was appropriate under the circumstances, even though it was painfully slow in the making.
But Stern failed to address the circumstances that lead to the suspension and unless he does so, they could lead to dire consequences, for both the participants and the league itself.
Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton apparently whiled away the time during a December 19th team flight from Phoenix to Washington D.C. by playing cards. Such activity has been de rigueur in the NBA for as long as anyone can remember. But two days later, when Crittenton refused to pay his gambling debt, the two engaged in a locker room confrontation involving handguns.
Arenas admitted having four handguns in his locker, although the reasons given varied from pulling a practical joke on teammates to removing the guns from his home because of his three children. Regardless of the motivation, having guns in the locker room violates the 2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, not to mention D.C. and federal anti-gun laws.
When Arenas mocked his actions on his Twitter account and on TV during a game on January 5th, Stern had had enough. His suspension statement suggested that the league is prepared to take harsher measures against Arenas, who may have jeopardized the $80 million remaining on the six-year, $111 million contract he signed in 2008. This isn’t Arenas’ first rodeo involving guns. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon in San Francisco in 2003.
During Stern’s more than 25 years as commissioner, the NBA has had its share of major public relations challenges. Gun-toting players - one player recently suggested that 75% of NBA players own firearms - are certainly among them. But as dangerous as guns are to those who wield them – and to those in their line of sight – it’s little more than a PR issue the league can address.
A bigger issue for the league is gambling, especially by the players, which was behind the standoff at the Wizards Corral. While card games with pots exceeding $100,000 – anonymous players and team personnel suggest that pots regularly approach that figure – may seem extravagant to the average fan, it’s understandable that players earning in excess of $5 million per year aren’t sufficiently energized by the bingo pots at the local church supper.
High-stakes losses with armed participants, along with a heaping helping of immaturity, sounds more like the Wild West, circa 1880, than a professional sports team. Some NBA teams apparently agree. The New Jersey Nets recently took the unusual step of banning gambling on the team plane. The Wizards joined them shortly after the Arenas incident.
The NBA has no one to blame for the players’ total disregard for the consequences of gambling, having turned a blind eye to such activity in the past. Perhaps the league’s biggest star, Michael Jordan, “retired” from the NBA to quell an inquiry into his gambling activity. If you’re one of the two people on earth who believed Jordan really wanted to pursue a baseball career in Minor League outposts rather than continuing to pursue NBA Championships as a member of the Chicago Bulls, his “un-retirement” a year later should have put that misconception to rest.
Recent actions taken by the league also downplay the association between the sport and gambling. The 2007 NBA All-Star game was held in the gambling capital of the U.S., Las Vegas, and the league has spoken favorably of putting a franchise in Sin City in the not-too-distant future. The Maloof family owns the Sacramento Kings, along with a casino in Las Vegas. Stern has even endorsed the concept of nationalized gambling on NBA games. The commissioner may have difficulty explaining those incongruities to the Players Association if he attempts to curb gambling among the players.
The NBA doesn’t need another gambling scandal while it’s still recovering from the nightmare created by former referee Tim Donaghy. It’s too late to protect Arenas from himself, but if Stern acts decisively to outlaw gambling of any kind by league employees, he may be able to save the NBA.
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Jordan Kobritz is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network. He can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. He is a former attorney, CPA, and Minor League Baseball team owner. He is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Eastern New Mexico University and teaches the Business of Sports at the University of Wyoming.
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