Washington Wizards: 30 greatest players in franchise history

Gilbert Arenas‘ NBA career was cut short due to an unfortunate off-the-court incident, but his time with the Wizards marked the Golden Age for the franchise. Arenas was originally drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the 31st overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.

After a ho-hum rookie season, he came back with a vengeance, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award in 2002-03, averaging 18.3 points, 6.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

In the 2003 offseason, he joined the Wizards as a free agent and instantly became a star. He made three All-Star appearances with Washington and earned All-NBA selections three times in his stint with the Wizards. On Dec. 7, 2006, he set the franchise record for points in a game with 60.

In a duel with Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, Arenas came out on top, propelling the Wizards to a 147-141 victory in overtime. Bryant finished the game with 45 points. Arenas went 17-of-32 (53.1 percent) from the field, 5-of-12 from 3-point range (41.7 percent) and 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) from the free throw line showing off his ability to score from the floor as well as get to the free throw line.

As it stands, Arenas ranks first in franchise history in 3-pointers (868), third all-time in free throws (2,314) and sixth all-time in assists (2,046). On Dec. 8, 2010, he was traded to the Orlando Magic, marking the end of the Golden Era, at least until John Wall arrived.