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Gilbert Arenas Once Applied for a ‘Most Wanted' Trademark
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, who faces federal gambling charges, may have inadvertently foreshadowed his current legal predicament more than a decade ago.
In August 2014, Arenas applied for a trademark to the phrase 'Most Wanted' as part of a logo for a marijuana business.
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According to the application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Arenas' proposed mark replaced the 'a' in the word 'wanted' with an image of a marijuana leaf.
The trademark application was filed by patent attorney Dave Nocilly, who did not respond to a request for comment. However, the biographical information listed for the applicant closely aligns with Arenas' own.
The application was ultimately abandoned after Arenas failed to file for a statement of use or an extension of time. There is no public indication that Arenas ever pursued a cannabis venture. In 2023, a video of him taking a hit off a blunt on his popular podcast Gil's Arena—purportedly for the first time ever—went viral.
Last month, Arenas, who played 11 seasons in the NBA, was arrested and indicted along with five other defendants on charges of operating an illegal gambling business out of his Encino, Calif., mansion. His co-defendants include Yevgeni Gershman, an Israeli who the federal government has called a 'suspected organized crime figure.' After being taken into custody by FBI agents, Arenas, who has pleaded not guilty, was released on a $50,000 bond. He faces two criminal counts, each of which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Arenas' criminal defense attorneys did not respond to emails from Sportico seeking comment.
In 2011, Arenas, then a member of the Orlando Magic, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit to stop his name being used or likeness being referenced in the VH1 reality show, Basketball Wives: Los Angeles. The show was set to feature Laura Govan, Arena's former partner with whom he had fathered four children. Arenas accused Govan and the show's production company, Shed Media, of misappropriating and diluting the value of his NIL and marks, which he claimed to include 'Gilbert J. Arenas, Jr.,' 'Gilbert Arenas' and 'Gil Arenas.'
Arenas' lawsuit was dismissed, and he was ultimately responsible for paying Shed Media $32,618 in attorneys' fees, according to court records.
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