Gilbertology can first be traced back to Gilbert’s early life and his unorthodox upbringing. Raised by a single father since he was 3, Gilbert discovered a love for basketball at an early age. When Gilbert was only 8 years old, Arenas and his father drove from Florida to California with only $50 and no place to stay where they would live 3 nights living out of a beat up Mazda RX-7 and McDonald’s while Gilbert Arenas Sr. looked for employment. Gilbert Arenas Sr. bounced from job to job and worked odd hours to make due. He would leave in the middle of the night for a night job and little Gilbert Arenas would follow right behind him. While his dad was working, Arenas would go to a local park working on his basketball game.

Watching his father’s work ethic, he knew that if he wanted something in life he had to work for it. It was at the playground where he polished and worked on his game. Gilbert Arenas had dreams and aspirations of playing in the NBA. Growing up and watching legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird dominate the sport at their peak, he knew one day he would be there as well. In the next lesson, we will take a look and try and shed some light on the eclectic nature of the NBA’s most unique superstar as we look at Gilbert Arenas and his high school basketball career.