Five minutes with Gilbert Arenas

I was the second to the last party to interview Gilbert Arenas at the Conservatory in the Manila Peninsula. Yeah, the hotel looks all right now no thanks to that loser Trillanes. The great thing about the interview was Arenas was such a cool and nice person. It was obviously a long day for him but he was still as energetic and engaging. I wasn’t able to finish my interview as we were running on tight skeds. This also appears in the sports pages of the Wednesday, July 9, 2008 edition of the Business Mirror.

Rick: Is it true that you flipped a coin in choosing a team when you left the Golden State Warriors?
Gilbert: (laughs) Yeah that’s true. It was either going to the Clippers or the Wizards. It actually turned up heads which meant going to the Clippers. I thought about it some then said, ‘Nah, maybe I need a change of scenery. So I went with Washington.

Rick: No regrets?
Gilbert: No regrets. Whatsoever. (smiles)

Rick: You’ve become a clutch shooter in recent years. A player who demands the ball during winning time, so tell me, which is your most memorable – the series-winner versus Chicago, the 35-footer to stun Milwaukee, that jumper against Utah, or that sudden burst of speed for a lay-up to scuttle Seattle?
Gilbert: I’d have to go with that shot against Chicago coz it pretty much started from that. We moved on to the second round and it was Washington’s first play-off win in years, man. That was huge for all of us and the city.

Rick: You’ve re-signed with the Wizards for another six years. So that keeps the Big Three of yourself with Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. What else do the Wizards need to contend more so knock off the Boston Celtics?
Gilbert: You always have to think that you have to get better. Our team is by no means a finished product. We need a few more pieces to get past the tough teams in the East like Boston, Detroit, and Cleveland. But I’ll tell you what, if we had played the Lakers in the Finals, we would have run those guys to death. It’s zip, zip, zip. Just like that. But we have to get better. Most definitely.

Rick: You’ve won an award for having the best celebrity blog. Do I smell a book coming?
Gilbert: Yeah blogging is fun but there’s a lot that you just can’t put in there since it’s an NBA website. So I’m saving them for a book. Yeah, that would be fun!

Rick: You made the cover of NBA Live 2008. How big a thrill is that?
Gilbert: My friends were calling on the phone, man. They were proud. And for someone like me who loves video games, it was cool. Almost as cool as having yourself appear on the Wheaties box.

Rick: So are you a Playstation guy or an Xbox person?
Gilbert: Xbox! I play like at least eight hours a day. Sometimes ten. My former teammate, Marc Jackson (with the Golden State Warriors), wreaked my Xbox and called me a traitor! (laughs). I’m a video game fan and have been one since I was a kid. But it’s cool, I tell you being on the cover of NBA Live.

Rick: You’re a three-time All-Star and have been named to the All-NBA team thrice as well. I know your career is a long ways to go but how would you like to be remembered?
Gilbert: That’s an interesting question. Definitely you want to be the best or remembered in the same breath as the all-time greats. But you want to be the guy who never quit on his team, who played hard and to win every time out. Someone who is a winner. And hopefully, someone who helped put Wizards basketball once more on the map.

Rick: Last question, Gilbert. I know you’re on a promotional tour for adidas. When does corporate responsibility end and when does being a role model kick in?
Gilbert: Sometimes with all your commitments, you take things for granted. I want rest just as much as everyone. But when you get out there and meet the fans and Manila has been great -- it’s been a great reception – you remember why you’re doing this. If you give hope or inspiration then that’s good. It keeps me going.

Rick: Thanks, Gilbert. It was a pleasure talking to you.
Gilbert: Thank you too. Am enjoying my stay here and talking to all these fans like you. You ask good questions, man. Now let's get our picture together.

I had a couple of more questions I was unable to ask since people were signaling me to wrap up my interview but here they are:

Having briefly seen the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry, does this remind you in anyway of the (University of Arizona) Wildcats vs. the (Arizona State University) Sun Devils?

How involved are you in the conceptualization of your products with adidas?