NBA stars have some of the most unique nicknames. This often originates from themselves adopting a nice nickname based on their skill or their personality. Often these monikers stick with them years after they’ve bid farewell to the game. Gilbert Arenas is one such ex-NBA player.

He is most commonly known as Agent Zero, and Hibachi. There have been several interpretations of the name as fans have tried to understand what these names mean. The NBA veteran recently detailed the origins of his nicknames.

Gilbert Arenas’ nicknames and their origins

Most fans believe that Arenas was called Agent Zero because he used to show up at clutch moments. This also seemed like a fair assumption based on the reputation of the 3x NBA All-Star. As it turns out, the reality is different. During his recent appearance on the Podcast P with Paul George, Arenas unveiled the origins of his nicknames. As a fan, PG never understood what Hibachi was and why Arenas was called Hibachi. He said, “It took me to get older to understand what Hibachi was. As a kid, I was like, Hibachi? What’s that? It took me to be a grown-up to understand what Hibachi is.”

Arenas said “It started from MySpace”, and the Hibachi name came from him being “cooked” on the floor, especially during practice sessions. He said that cooking or getting cooked was the origin for that name and once he became a formidable force on the court, the moniker became a bit more synonymous with him doing the cooking. He said, “From there, I just started saying it. You know in the NBA, when you score, they don’t want you to say sh*t… so you start making some little sound and stuff.”

The NBA veteran said that refs often book players for saying something on the court especially after they have done something crucial or stunning. In order to avoid getting into trouble, Arenas used these terms to express himself while also protecting himself from the refs. He said, “Raindrops, Hibachi, it kinda gets under their skins”, even when an athlete is just celebrating.

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When PG asked him if he gave himself all the nicknames, especially ‘Agent Zero‘, Arenas said it started off as fun. There he also had another nickname, Secret Service, but when he got to DC, keeping Agent Zero and Secret Service nicknames seemed like the right thing to do. So, Arenas went with Agent Zero. The fans picked it up from there and it has been history ever since.

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