‘We Got Guys Drinking Two Beers Per Quarter’: Former NBA Player Gilbert Arenas Reveals the Miserable Reality Of Playing For A Tanking Team

We talk about teams tanking for a better pick in the draft, but we never really consider what it's like to be one of the guys on a team in full-on tank mode. However, ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas is giving us some insight, and it sounds... well, it sounds not fun at all.

Arenas spent 11 seasons in the NBA before jetting off to play in China for the Shanghai Sharks. On the YouTube show The Right Time with Bomani Jones (not to be confused with various canceled Bomani Jones projects), Arenas recalled some rough times.

“My rookie season, there was a stretch where we were 6-40,” Arena said, per Mediaite, alluding to his first campaign with the Golden State Warriors.

Oof already. Although, we may reach a point very soon where the Detroit Pistons would kill to be 6-40.

“What did it look like? Exactly how it looks like on the court," he said. "They decided, ‘We’re not gonna have practice anymore. Just come to the games. This is pointless. Just come to the games.’ Why are we coming to practice? Because you’re not practicing hard. You’re just arguing. You’re arguing about your playing time.”

They're talkin' 'bout practice, man. Not a game; not a game...

Things Got So Bad During Arenas' First Season That Guys Were Crushing Beers On The Bench

Now, there couldn't be a worse sign of white flag-throwing than completely scrapping practices, could there?

Of course, there could, and it looks like this.

“On the end of the bench, we got guys drinking two beers per quarter in the Gatorade bottles,” Arenas said. “So, we got players that are drunk on the end of the bench."

Yeah, the towel was most definitely thrown in. Sounds like Chris Chelios at the Winter Classic.

“It’s depressing," Arenas said. "You’re counting your days. The guys that aren’t playing, they wish they could play; but those are sour apples because they’re talking about the players that are on the court, how ‘sorry’ he is. It’s just a bitter group of players.”

That bitter group of players managed to finish the season 21-61, which is brutal.

Although, from 6-44 they had a nice little run.

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