Agent Zero lives up to his name

He has had many nicknames over the years, and has inspired many terms to describe his intense scoring. But there is nothing amusing about Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas’ behavior the past few weeks.

The self-styled “Agent Zero” and “Black President” is playing without pay, and it serves him right.

After his argument that spawned the incident, Arenas told The Washington Times that he had taken his guns (three or four of them, depending on which account is to be believed) to the Verizon Center, the Washington Wizards’ playing facility, after his daughter, Hamiley Penny, was born. Over a week later, he said he handed them over to team security to give to police, claiming he had no knowledge of team or league rules against keeping firearms in any establishment associated with the NBA.

Arenas had already had problems with handguns before. He had already been suspended for the Wizards’ season opener in 2004 for not having the proper registration for a handgun when he was still with the Golden State Warriors.

But what is disturbing is the callousness with which Arenas and his teammates acted after the incident, making light of the matter. Worse, they were photographed laughing about it before their game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 6. Arenas pointed his fingers at his teammates as if he was shooting them.

This smacks of insensitivity for many reasons. First, the United States has had continuous problems with illegal handguns, resulting in horrific shootings on campuses and in fast-food restaurants. On top of that, Washington is, statistically, the murder capital of the United States. Third, the team changed its name from Bullets to Wizards precisely to overcome negative perceptions. The team’s deceased owner, Abe Pollin was behind the move, and was a close personal friend of NBA commissioner David Stern. Fourth, having not just one but three firearms is an excessive and arrogant display flaunting the law.

Arenas was a fan favorite before a series of injuries because of his humorous blogs on NBA.com. He also had an inspiring story, as he and his father, who were once homeless, drove across the US in search of employment. He wears the number 0 to remind himself of his origins.

When he visited Manila some time ago, he was very friendly and built a lot of goodwill with fans here. His colorful line of basketball shoes was a surprisingly big seller here in the Philippines, which is usually very conservative when it comes to buying sneakers.

Meanwhile, Arenas has formally been charged with felony possession of a firearm. The US Attorney’s office says that on Dec. 21, Gil Zero “did carry, openly and concealed on or about his person, in a place other than his dwelling place, place of business or on other land possessed by him, a pistol, without license.”

Given the NBA’s tremendous clout, and its dogged passion in keeping its players out of jail, Arenas will probably walk, though it may not sit too well with Stern. In the past, superstars from Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O’Neal and numerous players in between have been charged with crimes, some with substantial evidence, and have never served a day in incarceration. But a very public crime in the most inappropriate place (Washington) will be very hard for fans to forget.

Technically speaking, Arenas violated team rules and certain aspects of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. Worse, he broke the law, and was cavalier about it. He has become a symbol of the “thug” culture that Stern and the league’s conservative officials have been trying to minimize, if not avoid altogether. From crotch-grabbing Olympic qualifiers like Larry Johnson to other gun-toting stars like Allen Iverson, spoiled young black men getting too much, too soon and spitting in the face of authority have already left a bad taste in the mouth of many NBA fans. Will Arenas be the last? Definitely not. Will he be made an example of? That remains to be seen. But given the league’s past record of throwing its legal muscle behind its erring players, I don’t think so. The NBA protects its own.

Agent Zero will be placed in the freezer for a while, but he’ll be back. If Michael Vick could do it, if Ron Artest could do it, why not the Black President?

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This week’s episode of SMART Ultimate Sports Barkada features Gaby dela Merced, Gretchen Ho, the Philippine Sport Stacking team, and exclusive video of the SMART Gilas Philippine team’s practice game against the San Miguel Beermen. Ultimate Sports Barkada airs over the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m.