Gilbert Arenas fans were elated to hear that the former Washington Wizards franchise player was returning to competitive basketball, as he joined Ice Cube’s touring BIG3 League.
The charismatic Arenas seems to be a perfect fit for the growing league. He will be the captain of the Enemies team that has a roster that consists of Co-Captains Lamar Odom and Perry Jones III alongside Royce White, Craig Smith, and Frank Robinson. Former Detroit Pistons and Washington Bullets fan-favorite Rick Mahorn will serve as the coach.
BIG3 has yet to visit Washington, DC in it’s short history, but when Arenas name was announced, the light bulbs immediately set off. The possibility of ‘Agent Zero’ playing in the same arena he cultivated from 2003 until 2010, would be money.
Yet, when the league announced its 11-week touring schedule, the nation’s capital was not included.
The logistics are unknown into how the BIG3 sets its schedule and what hurdles (if any) prevented them from appearing at Capital One Arena this summer. However, Arenas is a basketball god to an entire generation of Wizards fans. He made a lot of DC basketball fans devote their love for the hometown team. He put the Wizards on the map after decades of what felt like depressing seasons.
This fans still refer to Arenas era in DC as the best, despite John Wall and Bradley Beal’s era being more successful. Even after he was traded from the team in 2010 following infamous gun incident with Javaris Crittenton, Arenas has been a huge fan of Wall and the Wizards and continued his connection with Wizards fans in DC through social media and the numerous media outlets he has partnered with.
Last year, the BIG3 averaged 14,000 in attendance, as they toured mostly NBA arenas. This year they’ll visit major NBA markets like Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and San Antonio.
They’re even visiting Salt Lake City, Utah as they have a bevy of former Jazz players that include Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, and Al Jefferson among others. Unfortunately, DC doesn’t get the same understanding.
It’s unfortunate. Arenas’ value to DC basketball is undoubted. He meant a lot, and for whatever the reasons, BIG3 is not coming to Washington. Maybe I’m mistaken, but they missed out on a huge opportunity in a town yearning for something basketball-wise to cheer about.
Arenas has drawing power here in DC and one city won’t make or break the BIG3, as it’s becoming increasingly popular with viewership reaching an increase of as high as 107% from Year 1 to Year 2. It’s just a shame for DC fans and for the league to miss an opportunity to create a great atmosphere of Arenas fanatics coming out to see one of the Wizards’ greatest to a generation play basketball.
Maybe next year or when Arenas actually reunites with his former Wizards teammates, as he has vowed.
