The ‘Untold’ sports documentary series shows that Netflix makes more than just on-court entertainment. The streaming service is even giving ESPN a run for its viewership with these across-sports volumes that feel like a darker ’30 for 30′.
We’ve had everything from the Caitlyn Jenner story to ‘The Fall of Favre,’ which is coming on May 20. When it comes to hoops, “Untold” has analyzed the Tim Donaghy scandal ‘Operation Flagrant Foul‘ and ‘The Rise and Fall of AND1‘.
Now, it delves deeper into its most controversial topic since ‘The Malice at the Palace,’ which recently brought Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller to tears. This episode includes a conversation with former teammate Stephen Jackson on his “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes.
Washington Wizards legend Gilbert Arenas has his own podcasts these days (‘Gil’s Arena’ and ‘No Chill’) with former teammate and Lakers star Nick Young. And you’d have thought Agent Zero was a former Hollywood star, given the amount of purple and gold he wears.
The lighthearted guard used to bow at opposing crowds before Trae Young did that in the A. But now, here’s where things get serious. Arenas and Swaggy P appear in the new ‘Untold’ documentary, ‘Shooting Guards,’ which dropped today, and it’s not about their former positions. The name may also be in poor taste given what is about to come.
Instead, this documentary takes you back to a moment you thought you had forgotten, something the NBA wishes it could. (Again, they refused to comment on this film.) It recounts the time when Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton brought guns into the Washington Wizards’ locker room, leaving fellow teammates like Antwan Jamison, JaVale McGee, and Nick Young stunned.
After going back and forth with idle threats following a gambling dispute, Arenas and Crittenton both brought firearms into the building. Gilbert placed one of his guns on Crittenton’s chair with a note that read, “You said you were going to shoot me, so I gave you guns.”
Meanwhile, Javaris came to the arena strapped for what he said was his own protection. Javaris then tossed Gilbert’s gun across the locker room as it went off, all before revealing that he had his own weapon with him. Players dispersed, tempers flared, and cooler heads should have prevailed. Eventually, things calmed down. And then that was it.
Until it wasn’t.
Gilbert’s gun gestures in forthcoming games irked the league. You would have thought that the NBA would distance itself from this documentary in light of what’s going on with Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant right now. However, following the Indiana Pacers’ incident at The Palace with the Pistons, the league wanted no more smoke and handed out 50-game suspensions to both Gilbert and Javaris.
The players were never the same. Arenas was a former superstar and poster boy whose fall from grace left him off the legendary lists his name would easily have been part of if he had kept his antics on the floor. As for Crittenton, the former college star and Lakers draftee couldn’t catch a basketball break.
Washington washed its hands of him. Other teams waived him for playing cards or accused him of trying to steal the slides he was using in the shower. He bounced around China and videotaped comeback trails before giving up the ghost on a career haunted by that fateful incident.
Away from the game, Javaris Crittenton was once involved with gangs in Los Angeles. Following his departure from the league, he was robbed multiple times and targeted. Trusting few, he decided to take matters into his own hands and investigate who had stolen from him. This resulted in a drive-by shooting that tragically took the life of Julian Jones, a mother of four who was just 22 years old.
Heartbreakingly, a police photo reveals a pair of pink flip-flops on the sidewalk at the scene.
Like Gilbert, Javaris—looking much bigger, more muscular, and different from his playing days—is present in this documentary to deliver detailed and remorseful accounts of the situation and the ensuing fallout. That’s because he served only a decade of his 23-year sentence for killing Jones. Make what you will of the man whose downward spiral resulted in a cruel tragedy for another family, but it’s clear that he is at the very least trying to help those in similar circumstances avoid making the same mistakes he did.
Regardless, our thoughts cannot compare to what Julian Jones’ family thinks. Her mother’s words in the documentary will stay with you, like consequences, long after the credits have finished.
There are few saving graces here, but one might be that Arenas still reaches out to make sure Javaris is doing well, reflecting their repaired relationship. Yet the words of Gilbert ring true and stay with you: “Our decisions that day ruined his life.” And, let’s not forget, the life of another and her family.
Let’s learn from this tragedy. In this ego-driven world of challenging each other’s pride, personalities, and power, we need to stop playing games when it comes to other people’s lives. The repercussions can be endless and all-encompassing, even for people who had nothing to do with it all.
As they say in the documentary, “just walk away!”
