Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas has found himself in the headlines again, but this time for the most unlikely of reasons. His ex-fiancée, Laura Govan, has been at the center of a legal battle that was brought about by one shocking revelation: Arenas had switched their $400,000 engagement ring with a fake one.
But the breakup didn’t just signal the demise of their engagement, it left Arenas feeling quite silly for his highly extravagant purchase. Bound and determined not to allow such a pricey ring to get away, Arenas took a matter of things into his hands.
Arenas devised a scheme of fraud to retrieve the ring. Months after the break-up, he and Govan re-united as love stood them a second chance. Well, Arenas had simply waited for the perfect timing to carry out his plan: to replace the real diamond ring with a sham worth only $10,000.
The calculated move pulled off perfectly over time, with Govan none the wiser. Arenas later admitted his motivation in blunt terms, saying, “That was a f*g waste of money. I want my ring back.”
Years later, the jig was up for Arenas. In a brazen move via social media, he would boast and claim that he actually never really gave her that real original diamond ring; in his claims, it had been safely tucked away with him this whole time. There developed a heated court action amidst revelation, with Govan going through all the way to sue Arenas for theft in regards to the ring. Govan also claimed a profit was owed to her if Gil could sell the rock or else he would try legal recourse to block him.
However, the court eventually ruled in favor of Arenas. Govan had missed many of the dates in court, ultimately weakening her case and resulting in Arenas being legally allowed to retain the real diamond.
For Arenas, the fake ring swap was pretty savvy, financially speaking. He said the money he didn’t have to spend to replace the original ring was put toward growing legal fees from multiple disputes with Govan, including contentious child support cases.
Arenas even joked that one bit of financial foresight in having the $400,000 diamond ring was serving as a “war chest” as their relationship, or at least as tranquil and less conflict-avoiding individuals would term it, the peace thereof, went sour and further deteriorated to very adversarial levels.
The whole drama set the internet abuzz with their fans and critics weighing in on the scandal. Some hailed the move as smart financially on Arenas’ part. Others, however, described the whole action of Arenas to be deceitful and petty-accusing it as an overall symbol of their tumultuous relationship.
“Gilbert Arenas played the long game—and won,” joked one social media user as onlookers chimed into the thread, “This whole story is hilarious and now sad. Relationships are really messy!
The story of Gilbert Arenas and Laura Govan serves as a warning against the perils that accompany love with luxury. That screaming fight over the $400,000 ring got them headline news, making every onlooker talk again over issues like trust, financial responsibility, and the length at which some go to protect their assets.
