National Basketball Association

Report: Arenas, teammate had gun standoff

Published Jan. 1, 2010 12:48 p.m. ET

foxsports

Did Gilbert Arenas pull a gun on a teammate in the Wizards' locker room?

Arenas and Javaris Crittenton drew guns on each other during a Christmas Eve gambling dispute, according to a report in the New York Post.

According to the report, Crittenton became angry when Arenas refused to make good on a gambling debt and shouted "I'm not your punk!"

That's when Arenas reportedly pulled a gun from his locker, prompting Crittenton to do the same.

A friend of Crittenton, Kendrick "Bookie Ball" Long, told the Post the third-year player discussed the altercation with him.

"He (Arenas) was (expletive) with him; he (Crittenton) was just defending himself!" said Long, who would only say the the dispute was over money.

Arenas has said he brought unloaded guns from home and stored them in his locker to keep them away from his children.

On Friday, Arenas sent a flurry of messages on Twitter, at times making light of the news but also posting one tweet that read somewhat like a denial: "I understand this is serious..but if u ever met me you know i dont do serious things im a goof ball this story today dont sound goofy to me."

D.C. police said Tuesday they are investigating a report that weapons were found inside a locker room at the Verizon Center, where the Washington Wizards play.

Last week, the Wizards said Arenas stored unloaded firearms in a container in his locker at the arena and that the NBA was looking into the situation. But Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump did not mention Arenas or the team in a one-sentence statement on the investigation.

Arenas acknowledged he was being investigated after the Wizards' 110-98 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night but he did not specify if it was by the NBA or police.

"They've been (investigating) for the last two weeks," Arenas said. "You guys just found out about it."

Arenas said he was cooperating with the investigation and that he hadn't brandished the weapons in the team's dressing room.

"They just want to know where I got them from," Arenas said. "They want to make sure they're not dirty guns."

Crump did not immediately answer a follow-up e-mail asking if Arenas was under investigation.

The statement said: "Members of the Metropolitan Police Department are currently assisting the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia with an investigation into an allegation that weapons were located inside a locker room at the Verizon Center."

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said: "There is an active investigation by D.C. law enforcement authorities, which we are monitoring closely. We are not taking any independent action at this time."

Washington has some of the most strict gun laws in the nation. The NBA's collective bargaining agreement allows for players to legally possess firearms, but prohibits them at league facilities or when traveling on league business.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.