After certain unfortunate incidents, Agent Zero was dedicated to returning to his previous glory. He began to try his luck in broadcasting and is currently thriving with some lucrative brand deals and the show Gil’s Arena. Playing in the NBA, he has made good use of his experience to gain great knowledge in the game, business, and more. As he looks back, there’s also a different and “toxic” culture that he learned from his rookie team.

Speaking on Real Ones, Gilbert Arenas named his rookie team, the Warriors, as having had the most “toxic” locker room. By that, he described that the team lacked discipline and the drive to compete. He explained that it wasn’t a great experience for a rookie. He thought this was how an NBA team was supposed to be, where players didn’t arrive on time for practice. 

“My rookie year was toxic. No one respected the coach. There was no real structure. It was a losing environment. We have practice at 11. Some guys came in 10:55; some came at 11:15, 11:30. No one really practiced hard, right, so I thought that was the, like this is the NBA?,” Arenas shared.

Shockingly, he stated that the team had no respect for the coach, who at that time, was Dave Cowens. Later, Brian Winters replaced him. “The players themselves to each other wasn’t toxic. Just all combined was just horrible especially for someone coming in, right you know, that’s, you know, g*ns in the locker room. So I learned bad behaviors from that year,” he admitted.

Arenas had previously gotten involved in some questionable actions. He once even lost his million-dollar Adidas deal due to one mistake. Regardless, he was able to redeem himself and reclaim his original glory.

Agent Zero had also previously exposed the situation that he faced with the Warriors regarding uneven and, worse, no practices.

Gilbert Arenas revealed the behind-the-scenes Warriors

Even with new additions, the team continued to face challenges, starting the season 8-12. After facing a 10-game losing streak in 2001-02, Golden State finished last in the Pacific Division with a dismal 21–61 record. During an appearance on The Right Time with Bomani Jones, Arenas recounted how the string of losses disheartened the players. He revealed that many stopped participating in regular practices, which eventually led to arguments within the team.

“On the end of the bench, we got guys dr*nking two beers per quarter in the Gatorade bottles. So, we got players that are dr*nk on the end of the bench,” Arenas shared.

Despite the unmotivated environment, Arenas was improving and increased his scoring average from 10.9 to 18.3 points per game in his second year with the team. The Warriors star believed this was when team authorities began reducing his playing time to prevent him from earning high-value contracts. Golden State also had another rookie, Jason Richardson, who was the fifth overall pick in the draft. But it didn’t help improve the game.

After their 1975 championship win, the Warriors clinched their next title in 2015, going on to win three more. While they struggled last season, the dubs have had a strong start this year, and probably have a great locker room environment under Steve Kerr. This is a stark contrast to the dysfunction Arenas described.