Kriti Mehrotra
Netflix’s ‘Untold: Shooting Guards’ is a Walter Thompson-Hernandez-directed exposé that delves deep into how a gambling-related dispute led to two NBA athletes drawing guns in a locker room. However, as also explored in the documentary, while Gilbert Arenas eventually managed to endure and learn from the situation, his teammate Javaris Crittenton ended up going down the wrong path. In fact, by the time he was 27, he had ended up not only killing an innocent being in a drive-by shooting but also becoming involved with gangs as well as drugs like cocaine and marijuana.
Having Grown Up Surrounded by Family, Javaris Crittenton Struggled After Being Drafted
Born to Sonya Dixon-Terry on December 31, 1987, in Atlanta, Georgia, Javaris Cortez Crittenton was admittedly raised by a village of women in the projects who all wanted him to do well. His father was never around, and he didn’t really have a father figure at any point either, so he always found solace in the family he had – mother, grandmother, as well as several aunts – and basketball. However, no one could have ever imagined that while attending Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, he would not only play alongside future NBA star Dwight Howard but also hone his own skills to do wonders.
In fact, by the time Javaris was a senior, he was considered one of the country’s best potential professional basketball players, resulting in him being recruited by all Division 1 universities heavily. Yet, at age 17, he was not ready to leave his core support system behind in any way, shape, or form, so he ended up attending the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in his hometown. He did manage to maintain a significant GPA even while thriving as a point guard/shooting guard as well as a team leader, but he decided to drop out and go pro following just a single season here.
Javaris genuinely hoped to be drafted by the Atlanta Hawks so as to stay where he felt comfortable, yet he ended up under the reputable banner of the Los Angeles Lakers as the 19th pick in Round 1. Little did he know, though, that he would struggle with his overall confidence and making team connections here, which soon allegedly led him to get involved with a local gang called the Mansfield Crips. He was ultimately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008 and then to the Washington Wizards the same year, unaware that the lack of constant support would further pull him towards the wrong side.
Javaris Crittenton Wasn’t Able to Bounce Back Following His NBA Suspension
While it’s true that Javaris was starting to play up to his potential at the Washington Wizards after teammate Gilbert Arenas took him under his wings, they had quite a rocky connection. As per the aforementioned show, they were a great duo in a basketball sense, yet the former couldn’t get with the way the latter always liked to joke around and push others’ buttons in private. This somehow spiraled in late 2009, culminating in the point guard drawing a loaded gun at his teammate after he had brought his own unloaded ones to the locker room following an argument where violence was threatened.
Gilbert maintains he was joking around at every turn, yet it was a lot more serious for Javaris, so even though they tried to let things go once the anger and chaos fizzled out, they just couldn’t. That’s because the news about the incident soon came out, resulting in the latter pleading guilty to gun possession charges in exchange for one year of probation on January 25, 2010. Then, two days later, both athletes were handed down a suspension of 50 games from the NBA, which was the remainder of the season. Unfortunately, because Javaris was still a rookie for the team, they released him at the end.
The professional athlete did try to continue playing, first with the Charlotte Bobcats, then the Dakota Wizards, and then in China for a while, yet nothing really worked out for him in the way he wished. Therefore, he returned to settle down in the same area where he grew up, in his hometown of Atlanta, unaware that the place he once called home had changed a lot over the years and for the worse. Within a few short months, he reportedly ended up being robbed at gunpoint twice, driving him to go down the path of revenge despite having filed police complaints because he believed he’d get it done quicker.
Javaris Crittenton Eventually Got Caught Up in Criminal Activities
It was on August 19, 2011, when Javaris ended up killing an innocent 22-year-old mother of 4 named Julian Jones in a drive-by shooting, where his intended target was his alleged robber. He then fled the scene and later the city by flying to Los Angeles on August 24, only to be arrested on August 29 while waiting to board his flight back to Atlanta. He had allegedly decided to surrender. During this period, it had also come to light that there was another shooting at 50 Mount Zion five days prior to the incident he was reportedly responsible for, but thankfully, no one was injured there.
Javaris and his cousin, Douglas Gamble, were later indicted for murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm, giving false statements, attempted murder, and gang activity. While the former was the gunman, the latter was the driver, so on April 29, 2015, just as the ex-NBA star’s trial was set to commence, he pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. However, it’s imperative to note that while he was out on a $230,000 bond in early 2014, he was accused of being involved in a ring that sold multi-kilos of cocaine and hundreds of pounds of marijuana.
After Serving a Decade in Prison, Javaris is Focusing on Community and Family
In the end, though, due to his plea agreement, Javaris was only sentenced to 23 years, which was later reduced to 10 years. He was released from behind bars on April 21, 2023. Since then, it’s evident that he has been doing his best to move forward from the past – he deeply regrets his actions, but he knows that dwelling on them won’t do anybody any good. Therefore, today, it appears as if he is dedicating the majority of his time and energy to programs like Next Level Empowerment Center, focusing on helping young, troubled men who have previously been incarcerated become a true part of society through mentorship and support.
Javaris is also a dedicated family man. No matter what, he ensures that he makes time for not only those he grew up with but also those who are his future in every sense. The latter includes his loving partner, his college-aged daughter Saniyah, who also plays basketball, his tween son Jay, and his newborn son Cross Jayce Crittenton (born November 2024). We should mention that the former athlete has also evolved into a basketball coach – he is the coach for Game Elite, a team that is a part of the Adidas 3SSB youth program for kids aged 12-18, with whom he even won the 2024 PQ Sports Atlanta Tip Off Classic Tournament.
