‘We Got Guys Drinking Two Beers Per Quarter’: Former NBA Player Gilbert Arenas Reveals the Miserable Reality of Playing for a Tanking Team

Retired NBA player Gilbert Arenas recently revealed that tanking teams are just as dysfunctional as one might expect amid endless losing.

As of Dec. 29, the 2023 Detroit Pistons are in the midst of a historic losing streak. At 28 straight, the team is currently tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the longest streak in NBA history. The Sixers, however, did that across two seasons. The Pistons have lost 28 games in a row in just one, and are on the verge of going two full months without a win.

On The Right Time with Bomani Jones, Arenas shared what it’s like being on a losing team of that magnitude.

“My rookie season, there was a stretch where we were 6-40,” Arena said. “What did it look like? Exactly how it looks like on the court. “They decided, ‘We’re not gonna have practice anymore. Just come to the games. This is pointless. Just come to the games.’ Why are we coming to practice? Because you’re not practicing hard. You’re just arguing. You’re arguing about your playing time.”

In his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors, the team finished 21-61. Arenas said things got so bad that drinking on the bench became a regular occurrence.

“On the end of the bench, we got guys drinking two beers per quarter in the Gatorade bottles,” Arenas said. “So, we got players that are drunk on the end of the bench.

“It’s depressing. You’re counting your days. The guys that aren’t playing, they wish they could play; but those are sour apples because they’re talking about the players that are on the court, how ‘sorry’ he is. It’s just a bitter group of players.”

Watch above via The Right Time with Bomani Jones.