Gilbert Arenas playing the good Samaritan? Stories like that are pretty hard to come by. One event in 2015 made it painfully clear that, more often than not, it’s actually the other way around.
It rings true because that same year, messy details of his split from longtime girlfriend Laura Govan spilled out in public. However, if you now think it was just another typical feud between two celebrities going from lovers to adversaries, you probably haven’t heard half of it.
When it rains, it pours
Govan and Arenas started their relationship back in 2002. And right there, you find the first catch — they had a relationship, but never a marriage. That situation stayed the same over the years, while Arenas, the former point guard, went on to earn roughly $200 million in total NBA salary.
Legally, there was never a binding agreement. However, when the relationship later unraveled, Govan described their life together as that of a true husband and wife, so it was just like they had actually been a married couple.
Not just in how they lived, but financially too.
According to the “Basketball Wives LA” star, Gil had promised she would share in his income. By her account, from 2003 onward, when he was still part of the Washington Wizards, she was to be compensated.
For most of their time together, that very setup seemed to work just fine. They built a home together, raising four children — Izela, Alijah, Hamiley, and Aloni.
By 2014, however, the same instability that had followed Arenas late in his playing days seemed to reflect in his personal life. Lo and behold, things with Govan had fallen apart, but not without the chaos you’d likely expect.
Escalating feud between Govan and Arenas
When revisiting court documents obtained by TMZ — centered on Govan’s lawsuit against Arenas after their split — an unflattering picture took shape.
According to Govan, Arenas had forced her out of their Los Angeles mansion, effectively evicting her and their four children. Then there was the $1 million engagement ring.
What had once been a romantic gesture in 2008, Arenas — forcefully, as she put it — had taken back from her. Not only that, but he later sold it without her approval, not sharing a single cent of the profits.
Feeling wronged, Govan struck back through the courts. She, for instance, demanded a share of Arenas’ earnings, including stakes in his cannabis ventures.
Meanwhile, the ex-four-time NBA All-Star responded with a libel suit, claiming she’d leaked damaging emails accusing him of infidelity, transmitting STDs and targeting former teammates.
In the end, “Agent Zero” won a $110,110 judgment for emotional distress. As for the broader claims, however, the court did not rule in his favor. That was especially due to the judges recognizing Govan’s limited financial resources.
Ultimately, outside the legal battles, things were no less turbulent.
In one infamous moment, Arenas posted an Instagram video of himself destroying his own Mercedes. Why? Govan had been driving that very car, and Arenas was likely retaliating after she had broken his windows and tossed his computer into a pool.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
