Gilbert Arenas plans to play in China next season, not NBA

Gilbert Arenas has been training and staying in shape all summer, but he says it’s with the intention of playing in China again next season, not returning to the NBA.

Arenas has worked out in the Los Angeles Clippers facility and reportedly will work out at the Lakers’ facility. There was a report saying the Clippers were going to invite him to their training camp, but he brushed that aside during an interview over the weekend.

Arenas threw a birthday party for Laura Govan over the weekend and they actually had a red carpet at the home. Arenas was asked by HipHollywood.com about the possibility of playing for the Clippers, which is when he shared his plans about returning to China.

“No, no no,” Arenas said when asked about going to training camp with the Clippers. “I went to go work out at the Clipper facility about two months ago. I guess I did well enough for them to invite me. But I want to go to China so I can come home faster.

“With China, I get to go and still play and then I can get back home and spend more time with the kids. I get to be home in February and enjoy the family. I don’t need the NBA money because I have enough of it. Now it’s about spending time with the family and the kids.”

Arenas is only 31 and still could probably be an end of the bench backup guard in the league. But if he’s decided that his priority is playing a shorter season and being around his family to spend all that money on white chocolate waterfalls and Dave & Buster’s games, how can we blame him? Sure, we’d love to see him back in the league doing Hibachi things, but we can’t force him back. He gets to be a star in China rather than a bench player here. That probably makes a big difference.