"It's like, how can you say you're racist, but all the players in your arena is just Black men?" - Gilbert Arenas comments on the racism he faced playing against the Boston Celtics
Gilbert Arenas' comments about leaving Larry Bird out of his all-time top 10 have drawn the focus of fans, but he discussed more topics during a VladTV interview. That included talking about Glen "Big Baby" Davis's comments that Boston Celtics fans were not racist towards him.
Arenas likened the situation to an incident he had with a police officer while playing for the Washington Wizards:
"I had a cop, sheriff, who used to patrol my area in Virginia. When I'd go outta town, he'd sit across the street from my home and patrol it and make sure the 'thugs' didn't do anything. He said, 'These Black, these thugs, know your schedule, and they know when you're gone, so they know when to hit your house."
Arenas added to the situation by sharing the officer's remarks as he walked over to confront him:
"He was like, 'I'm from Virgina', and he says 'I was raised different,' and he's telling me the back story. So, I said, 'What did Black people do to you?' He said, 'Personally, nothing, but it was put into me when I was little, but I'm a Wizard fan.' He said, 'Me being a Wizards fan trumps my racist behavior. As a Wizard, I don't see your color. You're a Wizard player.'
Arenas shared his experiences in Boston as a visiting player:
"When I was in Boston and someone was calling me the N-word, I was like, 'Bro, you have a Paul Pierce jersey on. You literally have a Paul Pierce. It's not Bob Cousy back; that's Paul Pierce.' How do you justify that? It's like, how can you say you're racist but everybody – all the players in your arena – is just Black men back there.
"Like, you got to earn your racism with me. You want me to believe you're racist. Like, I just want to see a Bob Cousy shirt. I just want to see all white people back there – like, the old ones, just old white men. I don't want to see no new Kevin Garnett on your back, f**king (Rajon) Rondo's back there, no, no."
Arenas was a three-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA player before injuries and a locker room incident involving firearms derailed his career. He now hosts the "No Chill with Gilbert Arenas" podcast.
Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell previously shared similar experiences to Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Arenas isn't the first athlete to touch on the racism of Boston sports fans. LeBron James recently shared those sentiments, claiming that Boston has the most racist fanbase.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on why he hates Boston Celtics fans: "Cause they racist as fuck." https://t.co/LtXiEbARIP
More significantly, Celtics legend Bill Russell, who led the team to 11 of their 17 titles, was treated poorly by his own fanbase. Initially, the locals attempted to prevent him from buying a house by having the whole neighborhood pitch in to buy it instead. When he was finally able to buy a home, life didn't get much easier, as his house was often vandalized.
What was Bill Russell's life like while he was racking up 11 rings? His daughter writes: https://t.co/ETKKvEbDfX