Recent Manila visitor, National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards, couldn’t help but break into a smile once we threw our first question at him. “We’re not here to talk about your achievements on the basketball court. We’re here to talk about your cars. So can you tell us about them?” we asked. Obviously amused, the man also known as Agent Zero begins to rattle them off one by one. “Man…where do I start? I’ve got a 63 Impala, a 64 Impala, a 59 Chevy, a T-rex Concept, a Can Am Spyder, a 1936 Maybach similar to the one featured in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, and a 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo,” he smiles. “Say what? Could you repeat that last one again?” we ask in bewildered amusement. “Yeah. I have a totally typical Chevrolet Monte Carlo. And it’s the one car I use most,” he assures us. And just like that, we’re thrown off our seat.
See we understand where the obsession with restored classics and three-wheeled concepts bikes comes from. We even understand where the need to own one of the few four-seater Ferraris ever built stems from (after all, no less than Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson called the Scaglietti the most “astonishing” car built in 2004). Fact is, not all big time basketball heroes go for tricked up Escalades and Mercedes Benz CLSes. But a 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo? Isn’t that a bit too, well, proletariat for a guy of Arenas’ stature? Arenas is a three-time NBA all-star, a member of the Team USA’s pool of professional ballers, his team’s franchise player and one of only six top tier basketball talents to be named brand endorsers for the athletic apparel giant adidas. So what’s up with the totally unassuming car?
“There’s a funny story about that car. I actually won it while playing a (computer) game of NBA 2K against a friend. And no matter how many new cars I acquired since I won it, I’ve gravitated towards it over the years. Maybe it’s because it’s the only one that has a booming sound system that I can bob my head to. But mostly I think it’s because it‘s the one car that I feel most comfortable in. I can hop in and not worry about anyone making a fuss when people see me,” he reasons.
Ah…there’s the catch! See, during the press conference held prior to our little one on one with Arenas, Agent Zero told a story that revealed much about his “zero to hero” persona. Apparently, back in 1989, Arenas (who was then a toddler) and his father drove from Florida to California to start their life anew in a worn out Mazda RX-7 with a mere $500 and a few clothes with them. After blowing what little savings they had, father and son had to literally live in the car (How many of us gearheads actually get to live in their cars?) until an elderly woman who took pity on them got them started off with a $600 gift of charity. They used that seed money to get a small apartment while carving out a day-to-day existence. That is, until Arenas’ undeniable basketball skills began to take them places. The rest, as they say, is history.
We prod on with the Monte Carlo angle. “So this obsession with the Monte Carlo…would you say it goes all the way back to those days when you and your father had to literally live in your worn out Mazda?” we ask. “Well…yes and no. I mean no because who doesn’t want to live large, right? You work hard to get your family out of the hardships that come with poverty. But you know what I found out after going through all these ups and downs? That the simple life is the best life. So yes. Maybe my obsession with a plain car stems from the fact that I know I can enjoy the simple stuff as much as I enjoy the good stuff,” he says.
And so…crazy as it may seem, despite our unique take on the sports celebrity that is Gilbert Arenas, we had to at the last minute re-focus our story angle (We originally pictured our Gilbert Arenas story as one filled with references to the “bling” car lifestyle – screw that!). Because though Agent Zero may own some pretty impressive vehicles, he still gravitates to the one that puts him at par with the rest of us mere mortals. A 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo – damn! Thanks, Agent Zero. Now, driving around in a 10-year-old Japanese sedan doesn’t make me feel too bad at all. I reckon the rest of the mortal folk out there can just be as thankful and satisfied with their unglamorous yet totally trustworthy modes of transportation.
