| Maybe it’s
because he screams things like “hibachi” after
sinking three pointers and has defined an almost oddball role
for himself among the rest of the NBA. Either way, he’s
a charismatic enigma on the court that deserves respect.
Arenas' teammates understand that better
than anyone else.
"We call it swag," teammate Antawn Jamison told
the Associated Press. “Gil has a great amount of swag
out there. The guy's been playing like this all year. Of late,
the last month or so, it's been unbelievable," Jamison
said. "I've never been a part of a team where a guy's
been performing the way he's been performing."
Perhaps the difference between Arenas and other players like
Anthony and Wade is that Arenas is just as blue-collar a guy
as the fans that cheer him on. Raised by a single father after
his mother gave him up when he was four, Arenas has worked
extremely hard to accomplish his dreams. Loved and admired
by the tough Washington fan base because of a tireless work
ethic and desire to become a better player, Arenas is the
true embodiment of perseverance and dedication.
"Whatever happens in your past, you get second chances,"
Arenas told the Washington Post. "Basketball is where
I put all my pain and let it go. The court became my sanctuary,
my outlet. Most males, we don't have outlets. A lot of females
don't realize we can't go and tell our friends our problems.
We don't talk about that. That's why a lot of men have stress.
Some golf, some do strip clubs or whatever. Mine was going
on the basketball floor.”
Using this rough and tumble attitude in all walks of life,
Arenas is a perfect fit for the tough, no nonsense environment
in Washington and is the main reason why the team has made
such a huge turnaround the past few seasons. The fans in Washington
know better than anyone else that Arenas is never going to
be in a McDonalds commercial or find himself in a major motion
picture alongside Looney Tunes characters like the other greats
in the sport, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have
a huge impact on the sport and the way people think about
their favorite players.
“I was taught that you find out who players are just
like how you find out about dogs,” Arenas said in Esquire
Magazine. “If you have a litter of dogs and you put
them in the dark, put them in a corner, and you shake your
keys, whatever dogs come to those keys, them's the ones you
want. They're curious. They want to know what's going on.
They're ready. They're fighting. The ones who sit in the corner,
they're afraid. They don't have the heart. That's how I look
at people.”
It may not be the most eloquent or articulate way to dissect
your competition on the court, but it works for Arenas and
the Wizards, who are currently in fifth place in the Atlantic
Division with a 20-14 record. Considering that, it seems the
screams of hibachi and references to players as K-9’s
are bound to continue.
© Copyright BBallCentral - By Patrick Hickey Jr.
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