Gilbert Arenas
Three-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards is true to the game. Gilbert Arenas proved impossible is nothing when he was drafted in the second round by the Golden State Warriors with the 31st pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. The 6-4 scoring machine then worked his way to become the first player from his draft class to earn All-Star recognition in 2005 as a member of the Washington Wizards.
Gilbert's superb work ethic is as characteristic as his phenomenal swag on the court, resulting in entertaining high-scoring duels and buzzer-beating, game-winning shots. His trademark down-to-earth candor, humor and post-game ritual of tossing his jersey into the crowd have made him a fan favorite.
Gilbert is a gamer and is an avid Halo player and graced the cover of EA Sports NBA LIVE 08 and. His gamertag "Agent Arenas" ranked 6th in Microsoft Xbox.com's Top 25 Gamertags of 2007. Gilbert Arenas is also considered a "blog superstar" with his NBA.com blog winning the 2007 Weblog Award for Best Celebrity Blogger.
Gilbert lives the dream and plays professional basketball from a fan's perspective and proclaimed himself as the "people's champ." Over the course of his NBA career, Gilbert Arenas has been one of the players at the forefront of community activism and service. His Zero 2 Hero Foundation promotes the safety and well being of children by raising funds to support organizations that aid in the preservation of families through foster care, adoption and child welfare services. Through his signature Scores for Schools program, Gilbert has donated $348,150 for public schools throughout the Washington DC metropolitan community for the past three NBA seasons when he pledged $100 per point scored. He partnered with Wizards team owners Irene and Abe Pollin for participating schools for the inaugural 2006-2007 season and the 2007-08 NBA Season. Last season, Gilbert increased his pledge to $150 per point for his score or his highest scoring teammate for participating schools.
"When I leave the NBA," Gilbert says, "I don't want my legacy to be, 'He won a championship ring.' I want my legacy to say: 'He played for the people. He gave everybody in the world hope that they can be just like him.'"
