Wizards' Stevenson pays tribute to suspended Arenas'

WASHINGTON -- While the Washington Wizards have removed virtually all traces of Gilbert Arenas from the Verizon Center, one teammate found a way to get his suspended teammate's nickname visible Sunday when the team played the New Orleans Hornets.

DeShawn Stevenson took to the court during pregame warmups with the words "AGENT" and "ZERO" written in red capital letters on tape wrapped just above his ankles.

"He's still a part of the team, right?" Stevenson said. "He's still part of the team, he's my brother, so I'm going to stick to him through rough times. It's like my little tribute."

The Wizards removed all Arenas-related merchandise from the arena and edited him out of the pregame video after he was suspended indefinitely by the NBA on Wednesday. Arenas is under investigation for bringing guns to the Verizon Center and related incidents.

Fans arriving for the game also saw a new multistory banner on the facade of the arena, replacing the one that had featured Arenas. The new banner focuses on the team's community service, with the slogan: "On your team, on the court and in the community, Wizards care."