Gilbert Arenas is an American former professional basketball who embarked on his NBA journey after being selected as the 31st overall pick by the Golden State Warriors. He last played professional basketball with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
Arenas is a three-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA Second Team, and one-time NBA Most Improved Player.
The former NBA player was known for his late-game shot-making skill and thus was nicknamed “Agent Zero.” Gibby played most of his NBA career with Washington Wizards and is known for his games with the Warriors.
But, his career started going downhill, and he was traded off to the Orlando Magic. He played with Memphis Grizzlies and Shanghai Sharks before ending his twelve-year-old NBA career.
What happened to Gilbert Arenas? Why was he traded to Orlando Magic, and why did his career go downhill? Make sure to read to the end to figure it out.
Furthermore, this article will also look a little deeper into Gilbert Arenas‘ personal, financial, and lifestyle. But let’s quickly look at his facts before diving into the details.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. |
| Name | Gilbert Arenas |
| Nickname | Agent Zero |
| Date of Birth | January 6, 1982 |
| Age | 42 Years Old |
| Birth Place | Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Black |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
| Height | 6’4″/1.93 m/193 cm |
| Weight | 98 kg/215 lb. |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Father’s Name | Gilbert Arenas Sr |
| Mother’s Name | Mary Francis Robinson |
| Siblings | None |
| High School | Ulysses S. Grant High School |
| University | Arizona University |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Ex-Wife | Laura Govan |
| Marriage Year | 2002 |
| Children | Four; Aloni Arenas, Izela Arenas, Hamiley Arenas, and Alijah Arenas |
| Profession | Former NBA Player |
| Position | Point guard |
| Leagues | National Basketball Association (NBA) |
| NBA Draft | 31st overall choice in the second round of 2001 NBA Draft |
| Debut Year | 2001 |
| Retirement | 2013 |
| Playing Teams |
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| Awards and Achievements |
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| Net Worth | $20 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter, Facebook |
| Merch | Basketball Trading Card |
| Last Update | March 2024 |
Early Life
On January 6, 1982, Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. was born to Gilbert Arenas Sr. and Mart Francis Robinson in Tampa, Florida, USA.
After his parents separated, his mother left him in foster care. But fortunately, his father found him and left him with grandma until he settled in California.
His father then raised him and inspired him to play basketball. Gilbert started playing basketball when he was 12.
Since then, he knew he wanted to be a basketball player, and his father supported his decision.
Regarding his educational background, he graduated from Ulysses S. Grant High School and attended Arizona University but did not complete his studies.
Age, Height & Weight
Gilbert Arenas was born in 1982, making him [calculate years datestring=”01/06/1982″] years old. He celebrated his birthday every year on January 6, which means he is a Capricorn.
The former professional basketball player was born in Tampa, Florida, and identifies himself as an American of black ethnicity.
Regarding his physical features, Arenas is 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters) tall and weighs around 98 kg (215 lb).
Career
Arenas played for the University of Arizona’s men’s basketball team and was named Pac-10 All-Freshman Team in 2000 and First-team All-ac-10 in 2001.
Moreover, he helped Arizona reach the national championship game. After playing two seasons for his college team, he declared for the 2001 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.
Professional Career
Gilbert Arenas started his professional NBA career with the Golden State Warriors after they drafted him with the 31st overall pick.
Playing for the Warriors, Arenas won the NBA Most Improved Player Award and was selected Most Valuable Player of the Rookie-Sophomore.
Gilbert then signed with Washington Wizards in 2003, with whom he played for seven years.
The former NBA player was a valuable addition to the Wizards and had his golden time playing for the Wizards. He won several awards and recognition while playing for the Wizards.
In July 2008, he inked a 6-year/$111 million contract extension with the Wizards.
In 2010, Washington Wizards traded him to Orlando Magic. Before retiring from professional basketball, he briefly played with the Memphis Grizzlies and Shanghai Sharks of the CBA.
Gilbert Arenas Rule
Gilbert became a restricted free agent after the 2002–2003 season. He reportedly flipped a coin to choose between different clubs interested in signing him, including the Wizards, Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Washington Wizards offered him a six-year/$64.02 million deal. The Warriors exceeded the salary limit and could not match the Wizards’ offer.
If Arenas had been a first-round draft, the Warriors would have been able to match the offer sheet due to salary limit exclusions.
The “Gilbert Arenas Rule” was subsequently enacted to enable clubs to re-sign restricted free agents not selected in the first round.
Firearm Incident
On December 24, 2009, Gilbert Arenas acknowledged hiding unloaded weapons in his locker at Capital One Arena and handed them to club security. It was a considerable concern for the NBA as he was breaking NBA regulations and breaking D.C. statutes.
In addition, Arenas and his teammate Javaris Crittenton were allegedly said to have fired weapons in the Wizards’ locker room after Christmas Eve.
Later, on January 14, 2010, Arenas was charged with carrying a firearm without a license by the D.C. Metropolitan Police and the US Attorney’s office.
The former NBA player pled guilty to carrying an unlicensed firearm outside a house or business on January 15. Following the event, the NBA banned Arenas indefinitely without pay until their inquiry was completed.
On February 2, 2010, he apologized for his conduct in an open editorial in The Washington Post.
On March 26, 2010, Gilbert was sentenced to two years of probation and 30 days in a halfway home after being found guilty.
He rejoined NBA for the 2010 season and changed his number from 0 to 9 for the new beginning.
Awards And Achievements
- 3x NBA All-Star (2005–2007)
- All-NBA Second Team (2007)
- 2x All-NBA Third Team (2005, 2006)
- NBA Most Improved Player (2003)
- First-team All-Pac-10 (2001)
- Pac-10 All-Freshman Team (2000)
- 7x NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week
- NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April 2002
- Cover Player of NBA Live
- Weblog Award for Best Celebrity Blogger (2007)
Wife And Children
Arenas married reality star Laura Govan in 2002. They met when he was playing for Golden State Warriors. The former couple instantly fell in love and got married.
Additionally, they share four children together; Aloni Arenas, Izela Arenas, Hamiley Arenas, and Alijah Arenas.
However, things went sour in their marriage, and they ended their marriage in January 2015.
But even after the divorce, things got nasty between them. Laura blamed Gilbert for not providing child support and cheating on her with her own sister.
After a while, Laura was also blamed for cheating on Gilbert with Shaquille O’Neal.
Net Worth And Salary
The net worth of Gilbert Arenas is estimated to be around $20 million as of 2024. Most of the fortune he garnered is from his professional basketball career.
During his professional career, Gilbert attracted many extravagant contracts. He was paid $845,252 in his entry-level contract with Golden State Warriors.
His last NBA contract with the Orlando Magic earned him around $22 million for the 2013-14 season.
Apart from this, Arenas has earned handsome money from sponsorships and endorsements. He was paid $100,000 for the endorsement agreements during the 2013 session.
In addition, he got a big endorsement deal from Adidas, and he has his own shoe line known as the Adidas Gil Zero and his own Adidas TS Lightswitch brand.
However, after the gun incident in 2009, Adidas discontinued its endorsement deal with the former NBA player.
Arena also earns a good amount of money as a presenter on YouTube’s Complex News channel. Gilbert also has his own podcast, The No Chill Podcast, which is produced by his in-house production company, No Chill Productions.
Underdog Fantasy Sports launched “Gil’s Arena,” the basketball-themed show which is hosted by Gilbert Arenas and ‘King of NBA Twitter’ Josiah Johnson, in February 2023.
Arenas is known to live a lavish lifestyle. He has millions worth of assets and investments. He sold his property in the Calabasas neighborhood for $3.35 million and Encino for $3.495 million.
Also, he sold his D.C. home for $2.5 million in 2014, where he resided while playing for the Washington Wizards. Along with lavish real estate, Arenas also owns a Mercedes and a Porsche.
Charity
Gilbert Arenas founded the Zero 2 Hero Foundation to aid children by collecting funds for organizations that offer foster care, adoption, and child welfare services, as well as assisting the homeless.
He is well known for being actively involved in charity projects. In 2005, he donated $18,000 to the victims of Katrina Hurricane. He also showed his support for Beyonce’s pre-concert food donation campaign in Washington, D.C., in 2007.
Furthermore, he has contributed $348,150 to public schools in Washington as part of Arenas’ Scores for Schools initiative.
Social Media Presence
Gilbert Arenas is active on social media and frequently posts about his personal and professional life there.
He frequently updates his fans by making posts on his handles, and his posts feature pictures of his podcasts and NBA news.
You can find him on Instagram under the handle @no.chill.gil and Twitter @GilbertAgent0.
Instagram: 932k followers
Twitter: 3,245 followers
Popularity
The above graph features the fluctuating popularity of Gilbert Arenas based on Google searches in the United States over a year.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the overall NBA statistics of Gilbert Arenas?
Gilbert Arenas played 552 games in his NBA career with an average of 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 5.3 assists, 0.2 blocks, and 20.7 points per game. Overall, he has scored 11,402 points, 2,168 rebounds, and 2,909 assists.
How long was Gilbert Arenas suspended after the firearm incident?
Gilbert Arenas was suspended for one year during the 2009-2010 season, and he was later traded to Orlando Magic for the next season.
