WASHINGTON (7News) — Etan Thomas has left an impact following his time in the NBA. After leaving the Wizards and the NBA, Thomas has written a book, hosts a radio show, and has many times been outspoken about several social issues. Now, Thomas is helping former teammate Javaris Crittenton share his story following his incarceration.
“Javaris really wants to pour back into the community, talk to young people, you know, he’s honest about what the mistakes that he’s made, the path that he’s on now, there’s a story of redemption. So it’s something that is he’s passionate about, and I’m blessed to be able to really assist in any way I can,” said Thomas.
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Crittenton played with the Wizards from 2008-2009. He’s most notably known for his involvement in a locker room confrontation involving guns with Gilbert Arenas in 2009. The incident led to the suspension of both players, and eventually led to the end of his career in the NBA. Later, Crittenton was charged with murder in a separate crime, where he served 10 years in prison. In 2023, he was released, and now he is trying to help others from falling into the same traps that he did.
“We want to talk about the redemption side of things. You know, there’s been so many negative stories put out, and people exaggerate things. So just you know, I wanted to talk about the truth and also talk about the redemption, about what I’m doing now, as far as coaching AAU players going back to juvenile halls and prisons, and share my testimony to you know, try to encourage people to just to keep believing and keep pushing that God is not through with you yet. We all go through things. It’s about how you get back up,” Crittenton told 7News.
Thomas will host Crittenton on his radio show, “The Collision: Sports & Politics” at Busboys and Poets on Friday, Dec. 5th. They will be joined by award-winning sports writer Dave Zirin, sports writer Chuck Modiano, and Washington legend Phil Chenier.
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Netflix shared a documentary titled “Untold: Shooting Guards” describing the incident involving Arenas and Crittenton and the aftermath in the lives of both men. Both Crittenton and Thomas believe there’s more to the story than what was shared in the documentary.
“We’ve given Javaris the platform just to tell his story, tell all the things that Netflix left out. I’m going to keep saying that because after I saw the documentary, I was like, wait a minute, there’s a whole lot more to this story. And now, there’s a redemption story that Netflix wasn’t interested in, but it’s still part of the story. I think it should have been a series, just my personal opinion. He has an incredible story, he’s doing amazing things, he’s open, he’s honest.” Thomas added.
Crittenton is thankful for his teammate believing in him and allowing him to tell his story, “I want to thank Etan time. We need more people like him in this world, people that reach back and help their teammates, their brothers. People go through things, people make mistakes, and sometimes things are really tragic, but it’s about reaching back and helping somebody and giving them the opportunity, and most of the time people don’t do that.”
Crittenton wants everyone to avoid going down the road he did, “I speak in truth. I’m unashamed, in a way, you know, very remorseful for certain things and certain mistakes. But when I say unashamed, I mean that I’m not ashamed to speak about all the things I’ve been through in its entirety.”