Gilbert’s press conference yesterday broguht about a slew of new thoughts on the man and his new contract.

- SLAM Online and Hoops Addict have their recaps from yesterday’s conference and Hoops Addict has the audio from yesterday as well.

- Dustin Canalin, the man behind the UNDRCRWN clothing line and two shoe collaborations with Gil, has dug up some more connections between Gilbert and the Philippines.

- At this point, I’m starting to wonder who hasn’t met Gilbert.

- Truth About It points out the benefits in Gilbert vs. Milwaukee rivalry.

- Finally, two wisemen and a stooge got together to discuss Gilbert’s season.  I’ll let you debate amongst yourselves who the stooge is.

No one can deny that Gilbert’s got star appeal.  His dazzling exploits on the court and his personality naturally draw people toward him, whether it’s in the nation’s capital or in the Philippines.  But did you know that he can help you sing better?  Just ask Christian Stewart, who’s going to be singing the national anthem at an upcoming game at Nationals Park thanks to his phenomenal swag:

Sure, dozens of amateur singers belted out 30-second versions of their favorite songs in hopes of gaining the chance to perform in front of a stadium full of baseball fans. But there was no snooty judge with a British accent, no snide commentary about a talent void — there wasn’t even a William Hung wannabe offering off-key antics.

In fact, most of the 59 people who entered the Washington Nationals’ third annual contest to sing the national anthem at a home game sang pretty well. Some had raw talent, and a few were just raw.

In the end, a 10-year-old Waldorf boy in a Gilbert Arenas jersey won over a crowd of more than 100 without showing any fear.

I’m not saying that there’s a direct correlation between wearing a Gilbert Arenas jersey and increased singing talent, but…there could be.

- In an interview with FanHouse, Dwyane Wade talks about how blogging impacts athletes and has some nice things to say about Gilbert’s blog:

WB: Cool. I noticed you’re, and I’m not sure if that’s Sun-Times nounage (Ed. Note: It is so a word) or not, avoiding the term “blogging”. Do you ever read other blogs out there or do you ever google yourself to see what rumors are floating around, just out of personal curiosity?

DW: Oh, no question. We all do. A lot of people, you know, look on different sites. Some people use if for motivation and some people just want to hear what’s been said, whether it’s been good or not.

If I read a blog, I probably read Gilbert [Arenas's blog, man, because you never know what that guy's gonna say. And I know he's one of the first ones, in terms of professional athletes, or NBA players, to start a blog. And so I...No question, in this world we live in today, gossip and rumors are a part of the world, so you've check out and see what's being said about not only you but others and go from there.

- Bounce Magazine caught up with the Bryon Sheng, the man behind the Undrcrwn - Gil II Zero collaboration.

- Finally, the legendary Elie Seckbach caught up with Gilbert Arenas and they talked about how Gilbert avoids D.C.'s cold weather in the winter:

- Gilbert is still making the rounds on his tour through the Philippines.  He had a nice interview with the Manila Bulletin where he talks about the U.S. Olympic Team and some of his favorite things.

- A fan that met Gilbert while he was in China passed along his story to D.C. Sports Bog.  If you were worried that Gil might start slacking now that he’s got a phat contract, you have nothing to fear.  Check out this detail from the fan’s story:

“On the way up, I tried to play it cool and not let him know that I recognized him,” Irving wrote to me in an e-mail, “but I eventually [I] said, ‘You know I’m going to tell all of my buddies about this.’ He laughed and stuck out his hand to shake mine.”

Gilbert got off the elevator before Irving. But the next morning, a still-jetlagged Irving woke up at 5 and went down the gym. “Arenas was also awake, already working out with his trainer,” Irving wrote. Irving left him alone. But then came their third meeting, at the Shangri-La’s amazing breakfast buffet, where both men were there just after the buffet opens at 6:30. And finally, before Gilbert picked out his food, Irving asked for what he said was the first autograph of his life. At which point we learned three things:

- Stateside, people have things to say about Gilbert as well.  Stet Sports Blog looks into the motivation behind Gilbert taking less money and here’s what Dick Vitale had to say about Gil’s new contract:

The Washington Wizards and Gilbert Arenas hooked up on a six-year, $111 million dollar deal. Where are all the experts now, those who questioned Arenas when he was a second-round draft pick? We analyze, analyze, analyze these kids when they come out of college, but sometimes you can’t measure the heart and determination of the athlete. Arenas has played with a chip on his shoulder to show the evaluators made a mistake by letting him slip out of the first round.

Awesome baby!

Hey party people, there’s going to be a lot more on Gilbert’s new contract in the coming days, as I recover from the euphoria of it all.  Until then, let’s check in with what Gilbert’s been doing in Asia.  The Bog has some pictures of him in China opening the world’s largest Adidas store.

Now, Gilbert is in the Philippines where the locals have taken quite a shine to him:

While adjusting to his newfound popularity, he also took some time to answer a few questions, including what his favorite GilIIZero shoe is and how his famous “Hibachi!” phrase came about.  Believe it or not, it has to do with Kirk Hinrich:

If you want to find a few more videos of Gil doing his thing in the Philippines, you can check them out here.