Caron Butler recalls infamous Wizards locker room gun incident in memoir

In his recently published memoir, NBA veteran Caron Butler recalls the infamous armed standoff between then-Wizards teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton.

In his recently published memoir, NBA veteran Caron Butler recalls the infamous armed standoff between then-Wizards teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton. 

Butler’s book was released Wednesday and The Washington Posthas published an excerpt in which he details his recollection of the December 2009 incident. 

Butler’s account confirms what had previously been reported after the dispute and subsequent locker room confrontation. Arenas and Crittenton began arguing on a plane over a card game (Butler says the dispute was over $1,100) and tensions boiled over in the locker room two days later at the next practice. 

Gilbert was standing in front of his two locker stalls, the ones previously used by Michael Jordan, with four guns on display. Javaris was standing in front of his own stall, his back to Gilbert.

“Hey, MF, come pick one,” Gilbert told Javaris while pointing to the weapons. “I’m going to shoot your [expletive] with one of these.”

“Oh no, you don’t need to shoot me with one of those,” said Javaris, turning around slowly like a gunslinger in the Old West. “I’ve got one right here.”

He pulled out his own gun, already loaded, cocked it, and pointed it at Gilbert.

Arenas and Crittenton were suspended for the remainder of the 2009–10 season in January of that year. Arenas was traded to the Magic mid-way through the next season, while Crittenton never played in the NBA again. 

Crittenton pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in April for the 2011 killing of an Atlanta woman. 

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- Dan Gartland