# Javaris Crittenton
**Javaris Crittenton** (born 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former American professional basketball player, a point guard who played three NBA seasons for the [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-lakers), the [Memphis Grizzlies](https://www.edgepedia.org/memphis-grizzlies), and the [Washington Wizards](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-wizards), and who later served about ten years in a Georgia prison for the 2011 shooting death of Julian Jones in Atlanta.[1](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/bio/_/id/3197/javaris-crittenton) • [2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/gleague/players/c/crittja01d.html) • [3](https://legalclarity.org/javaris-crittenton-release-date-sentence-and-life-after-prison/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987, Atlanta, Georgia[1](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/bio/_/id/3197/javaris-crittenton) |
| Playing size | 6'5" (1.96 m), 200 lb (91 kg), point guard[4](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/201159/traditional) |
| College | Georgia Tech, left after one season for the draft[1](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/bio/_/id/3197/javaris-crittenton) • [5](https://ramblinwreck.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-21-GTMBB-Record-Book.pdf) |
| Draft | 2007 NBA Draft, first round, 19th pick, by the Los Angeles Lakers[1](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/bio/_/id/3197/javaris-crittenton) |
| NBA career | 113 games, 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game, 44.2% field-goal shooting[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/gleague/players/c/crittja01d.html) • [1](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/bio/_/id/3197/javaris-crittenton) |
| 2009–10 suspension | Suspended for the balance of the NBA season in January 2010 with Gilbert Arenas after both pulled guns on each other in the Wizards' locker room[6](https://apnews.com/article/e7836e1b0d268c90a84b70d563bb8806) |
| Conviction | Pleaded guilty in April 2015 to voluntary manslaughter in the 2011 death of Julian Jones; 23-year sentence[7](https://sports.yahoo.com/ex-nba-player-crittenton-admits-guilt-2011-shooting-151939187--nba.html) |
| Release | Freed from a Georgia prison on April 21, 2023, after serving about ten years, followed by five years of intensive probation[3](https://legalclarity.org/javaris-crittenton-release-date-sentence-and-life-after-prison/) |
## Basketball career
Crittenton played at [Georgia Tech](https://www.edgepedia.org/georgia-tech) before entering the 2007 NBA Draft, in which the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the 19th overall pick.[1](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/bio/_/id/3197/javaris-crittenton) He was one of nine first-round picks from [Atlantic Coast Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-coast-conference) schools that year, alongside [Thaddeus Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/thaddeus-young), Al Thornton, and others.[8](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/acc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2021/10/29/2021_22ACCMBBMediaGuide.pdf)
**The Gasol trade.** On February 1, 2008, the Lakers traded Crittenton to the Memphis Grizzlies along with [Kwame Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/kwame-brown), Aaron McKie, the draft rights to [Marc Gasol](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-gasol), a conditional 2008 first-round pick, a conditional 2010 first-round pick, and cash, in exchange for [Pau Gasol](https://www.edgepedia.org/pau-gasol) and a 2010 second-round pick.[9](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Javaris-Crittenton/Summary/49) The trade reshaped both franchises: Los Angeles reached three consecutive NBA Finals with Gasol, while Memphis later built around Marc Gasol.[10](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/los-lakers-una-historia-de-traspasos-de-leyenda-n/)
On December 9, 2008, Crittenton moved again in a three-team trade that sent him from Memphis to the Washington Wizards, with the Grizzlies receiving a 2010 first-round draft pick.[11](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612740/2025/10/2025-26-Pelicans-Media-Guide-v2.pdf) Across two NBA seasons he appeared in 113 games, averaging 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/gleague/players/c/crittja01d.html)
## The Arenas locker room incident
In December 2009, while with the Wizards, Crittenton and teammate [Gilbert Arenas](https://www.edgepedia.org/gilbert-arenas) had a dispute over a card game. Arenas responded the following day by carrying four firearms into the locker room and placing them before Crittenton's locker alongside a note instructing him to "PICK 1"; Crittenton, in turn, drew his own weapon.[12](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-nba-player-javaris-crittenton-freed-on-230000-bail-in-murder-case/) The league suspended both players for the balance of the 2009–10 season in January 2010.[6](https://apnews.com/article/e7836e1b0d268c90a84b70d563bb8806) Crittenton pleaded guilty in January 2010 to a misdemeanor gun charge and received a year of unsupervised probation.[12](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-nba-player-javaris-crittenton-freed-on-230000-bail-in-murder-case/)
## The 2011 shooting and conviction
On August 19, 2011, Julian Jones, a 22-year-old mother of four, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Atlanta; police said the shots were aimed at someone walking with her.[12](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-nba-player-javaris-crittenton-freed-on-230000-bail-in-murder-case/) Police secured a murder warrant for Crittenton, and a witness identified him in a photo lineup; a detective testified that a man who had a "good, clear look" at the gunman picked him out, and a neighbor also identified him.[13](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/ex-laker-crittenton-idd-by-witness-in-deadly-shooting/) His defense attorney, [Brian Steel](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-steel), said his client was not guilty and that the charges rested on faulty eyewitness testimony.[13](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/ex-laker-crittenton-idd-by-witness-in-deadly-shooting/) Reporting at the time linked the shooting to a robbery in which Crittenton was held at gunpoint and forced to hand over a $25,000 black diamond necklace, a $30,000 black diamond watch, an iPhone, and $25.[14](https://globalnews.ca/news/159717/atlanta-judge-grants-bond-to-ex-nba-player-crittenton-charged-with-murder/) • [15](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/report-crittenton-shooting-may-have-been-revenge-for-robbery)
Crittenton was arrested on August 30, 2011, at a [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california) airport.[16](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-nba-player-javaris-crittenton-arrested-for-murder/) A Fulton County magistrate judge granted a $230,000 bond in September 2011, ordering former Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt and others who testified on his behalf to co-sign it.[12](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-nba-player-javaris-crittenton-freed-on-230000-bail-in-murder-case/)
In April 2015, with jury selection underway for a trial in which he and his cousin Douglas Gamble were accused of gunning down Jones, Crittenton pleaded guilty, admitting he fired an automatic rifle in the drive-by shooting but saying he never meant to kill anyone. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison.[7](https://sports.yahoo.com/ex-nba-player-crittenton-admits-guilt-2011-shooting-151939187--nba.html)
## Release and life after prison
**Early release.** In April 2023, Crittenton was granted an early release under an agreement with Fulton County's former district attorney, following a successful motion to modify his sentence in Fulton County Superior Court. Current district attorney [Fani Willis](https://www.edgepedia.org/fani-willis), who had once represented Crittenton, recused herself from the case after taking office in 2020 and rejected the modified sentence.[17](https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/will-ex-nba-and-tech-star-javaris-crittenton-be-released-from-prison-early/JFYRCACGDFF7NEL2LYAWTGHDSE/) Crittenton left custody on April 21, 2023, having completed roughly a decade behind bars of the 23 years he had originally been given, and now must complete a five-year term of closely supervised probation featuring electronic monitoring, a curfew, and several thousand hours of required community service.[3](https://legalclarity.org/javaris-crittenton-release-date-sentence-and-life-after-prison/)
Since his release, Crittenton has coached youth basketball, mentored at-risk young people, and spoken publicly about his past. He was featured in the Netflix documentary *Untold: Shooting Guards*, which premiered in May 2025, and he and filmmaker Etan Thomas have said the documentary left out significant portions of his story, particularly his rehabilitation. He welcomed a son in 2024 and has posted on social media about his family.[18](https://legalclarity.org/where-is-javaris-crittenton-now-life-after-prison/) In April 2023, shortly after his release, he reunited with Gilbert Arenas on the podcast "Gil's Arena" to discuss the 2009 locker room incident.[3](https://legalclarity.org/javaris-crittenton-release-date-sentence-and-life-after-prison/)
## References
1. [Javaris Crittenton Biography, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/bio/_/id/3197/javaris-crittenton)
2. [Javaris Crittenton G-League Stats, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/gleague/players/c/crittja01d.html)
3. [Javaris Crittenton Release Date: Sentence and Life After Prison, LegalClarity](https://legalclarity.org/javaris-crittenton-release-date-sentence-and-life-after-prison/)
4. [Javaris Crittenton, NBA.com stats profile](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/201159/traditional)
5. [Career Statistics of Top Tech Players, Georgia Tech Record Book](https://ramblinwreck.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-21-GTMBB-Record-Book.pdf)
6. [Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, 5 others charged with running illegal poker games, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/e7836e1b0d268c90a84b70d563bb8806)
7. [Ex-NBA player Crittenton gets 23 years in prison for Atlanta shooting death, Yahoo Sports/Reuters](https://sports.yahoo.com/ex-nba-player-crittenton-admits-guilt-2011-shooting-151939187--nba.html)
8. [ACC NBA Draft by Year, 2021–22 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/acc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2021/10/29/2021_22ACCMBBMediaGuide.pdf)
9. [Javaris Crittenton Player Profile, RealGM](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Javaris-Crittenton/Summary/49)
10. [Los Lakers: una historia de traspasos de leyenda, AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/los-lakers-una-historia-de-traspasos-de-leyenda-n/)
11. [Team History, 2025–26 New Orleans Pelicans Media Guide](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612740/2025/10/2025-26-Pelicans-Media-Guide-v2.pdf)
12. [Ex-NBA player Javaris Crittenton freed on $230,000 bail in murder case, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-nba-player-javaris-crittenton-freed-on-230000-bail-in-murder-case/)
13. [Ex-Laker Crittenton ID'd by witness in deadly shooting, CBS Los Angeles](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/ex-laker-crittenton-idd-by-witness-in-deadly-shooting/)
14. [Atlanta judge grants bond to ex-NBA player Crittenton charged with murder, Global News](https://globalnews.ca/news/159717/atlanta-judge-grants-bond-to-ex-nba-player-crittenton-charged-with-murder/)
15. [Report: Crittenton shooting may have been revenge for robbery, NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/report-crittenton-shooting-may-have-been-revenge-for-robbery)
16. [Ex-NBA player Javaris Crittenton arrested for murder, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-nba-player-javaris-crittenton-arrested-for-murder/)
17. [Will ex-NBA and Tech star Javaris Crittenton be released from prison early?, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution](https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/will-ex-nba-and-tech-star-javaris-crittenton-be-released-from-prison-early/JFYRCACGDFF7NEL2LYAWTGHDSE/)
18. [Where Is Javaris Crittenton Now? Life After Prison, LegalClarity](https://legalclarity.org/where-is-javaris-crittenton-now-life-after-prison/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › NBA players, 1996–2010 › NBA guards, 1996–2010*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license