Working out, practicing and endorsement deals.
These are just some of the things many NBA stars say they are doing throughout the current lockout.
Unfortunately, these are the exact things former Washington Wizard guard Javaris Crittenton will not be able to participate in until further notice.
For those of you that do not recognize that name, Crittenton is the guy involved in the infamous locker gun-draw with ex-teammate Gilbert Arenas. In 2009, the two then-teammates were reportedly arguing about gambling debts when each pulled out a gun from their lockers at the Verizon Center.
While Arenas received most of the public back lash, Crittenton was kicked out of the NBA. Crittenton then landed himself in the NBA’s Development League and began to work his way back to the NBA. But his recent run in with the law may very well have taken away his chances of getting back to the NBA.
Within the past couple of weeks, Crittenton has jumped onto the front pages of numerous sports pages with reports of his alleged involvement in an Atlanta murder case. Reportedly, Crittenton participated in a drive-by shooting, where he was retaliating against someone who supposedly stole his jewelry.
During the drive-by, one of the bullets hit a bystander and killed her. After the reported incident, Crittenton boarded a flight from Atlanta, Ga., to California and was arrested this past Monday at the John Wayne International Airport in Orange County, Calif.
Crittenton’s situation with the law raises a number of questions.
One of those questions is what have situations like Crittenton’s done to the overall image of the NBA?
It is widely known that the league has been trying to clean up its image. They implemented a new dress code a couple years ago and have been handing down harsher and harsher punishments for things like fights and off-court offenses.
What Crittenton has gotten himself into not only puts his own personal image in an awful predicament, but has also comprised some of the work that the NBA has tried to do with its image.
With both incidents Crittenton has been involved with and various other off-the-court run-ins with the law by other players, the very image of professionalism the league has tried to build is being tarnished.
While Crittenton has not been found guilty of murder, he has officially been charged with the crime. With every break in the case, Crittenton’s name will be plastered all over the news alongside the NBA.
Being associated with such cases has been the very thing the NBA has worked against. As an ever-growing worldwide corporation, the NBA wants to grow and continue to make money. Situations like this compromise the integrity of the league.
