Gilbert Arenas is back. Sort of. His season in China playing for the Shanghai Sharks, owned by former NBA center Yao Ming, went by unnoticed by most. He got injured in his very first game and only played in just shy of half the games dealing with a groin injury, that sidelined him for most of the first half of the season. He played in the last 11 games and showed flashes of the old Agent Zero, scoring 45 points one game, 12 points in 2 minutes once, and a game-winner. He rebounded more and ended the season averaging 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists a game, wearing the familiar number 0.

In China, he goes by the Chinese name is Gi Le and he has embraced his fans. He can be seen walking around town, something that foreign players don’t do too often in China. He interacts with the fans on their popular social network, even with the language barrier. He gives away tickets to home games, just like he did when he gave away Wizard tickets. And you can bet he is up to his old tricks and pranks with his new teammates as well.

Will we see Gilbert back in the NBA? Don’t count on it. His days sitting on the bench with the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies made him question why he wanted to keep playing. In China, he has managed to revive his career much like how former NBA players Stephon Marbury and Tracy McGrady have done. He gets to play longer minutes and has a green light at the basket. Sure he doesn’t have the private planes and luxury hotels on the road but a shorter season lets him enjoy the summer with his family, something he didn’t get a chance to do while in the NBA. When Slam Online asked him if he has any plans or hopes to tryout with the NBA again, Arenas answered

“Nah! [Shakes head vehemently] Because after this season I can enjoy my family. You know my kids are getting older. Being in the NBA, you don’t really get to enjoy your family life because you’re always on the road, you’re always gone. So, no. After this season will be the first time I’ll get to be with my kids for a long period of time.”

Most important of all, Arenas is happy where he is at and while fans from the States won’t be able to witness his play live, there is always YouTube.

Gilbert Arenas has signed a one-year deal with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball League where he will play alongside former NBA lottery pick Yi Jianlian. The Tigers have won seven CBA titles and have made the playoffs every seasons since the league launched in 1995. Arenas will be eligible to go back to the NBA and join a playoff contending team once the Chinese Basketball League is over.

At the moment all NBA fans will be fully focused on the season, as it moves towards its most exciting stage. The regular season is almost over – with around a month left to play – and the best eight teams from both of the Conferences will be entering the play-offs to decide the winners of the NBA title. A lot of fans will be looking to put bets on which teams will make the play-offs, or which one will win the title – if they haven’t bet on these things already – but once the season is over it can leave a weird sense of emptiness; even if your team does well. One option that can fill the gap before the start of the next NBA season is a basketball slots game – with Slam Dunk being one of the best.

The basketball theme of Slam Dunk is immediately apparent, with reel icons of players, basketball sneakers, cheerleaders, a referee and a number 23 jersey. Of course no fan reading this will need to be reminded that 23 was the number worn by Michael Jordan, and here it serves as the wild symbol. That means it stands in for any other missing symbol to create a winning combination – so it boosts your chances of winning. Play here to try more online casino games.

This is important because, however well developed the basketball theme is, you will still want to have a decent chance of winning some money by playing Slam Dunk. Slots games have traditionally been a popular form of casino gambling, because they are not expensive to play and the provide a good chance of a payout, and Slam Dunk is no exception in this respect. Alongside the wild symbol, there is the Slam Dunk bonus game, which can lead to a win of 5000 coins so, while Slam Dunk will almost certainly appeal to basketball fans, even those oddballs who don’t love the sport should enjoy playing it.

Agent Zero might have a lot of free time this NBA season. Arenas finished the season for the Grizzlies last season and had been practicing in Los Angeles in hopes of joining the Clippers or Lakers training camp but that never came to fruition. What can he do on his free time? He could play basketball in China, play paintball with former Wizards JaVale McGee and Nick Young, watch his fiancee Laura Govan on Basketball Wives, or look for more sports reviews of his favorite basketball sites. If he does decide to play in China and plays well, we could very well see Gilbert back in a NBA uniform in time for the playoffs.