Matt Slocum / AP

Gilbert Arenas has said he brought four guns to the Verizon Center to store in his locker in order to get them out of his house and away from his children.

A text message left for Arenas by The Associated Press was not immediately returned.

A Wizards spokesman said Arenas left the team, which is playing in Cleveland, earlier Wednesday but didn’t know where he was going.

“It’s sad,” Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson said. “You don’t want to see a player go down like that. We’re a family, and it hurts.”

The Wizards supported Stern’s decision in a statement attributed to president Ernie Grunfeld and the Pollin family, which owns the team. The late Abe Pollin changed the team’s name from the Bullets because of the violent connotation.

“Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert’s recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable,” the statement said. “Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert’s behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable.”

Union executive director Billy Hunter said the players association will wait until the investigation is complete before taking any action.

Since the firearms language was strengthened in the 2005 collective bargaining agreement, NBA players are subject to discipline if they bring guns to the arena or practice facility, or even an offsite promotional appearance. That gave Stern the option of taking action now instead of waiting until the completion of the criminal case, as he usually does.

Arenas’ suspension deprives the Wizards of their top scorer and on-court leader. As it is, coach Flip Saunders’ first season with the team has been a struggle: The Wizards entered Wednesday’s game at Cleveland with an 11-21 record and in last place in the Southeast Division.

It caps a remarkably swift and long fall from the top of the game for Arenas, a three-time All-Star who averaged 28.4 points in 2006-07 and 29.3 in 2005-06 and whose carefree demeanor was a hit with fans — but not Stern.

Taking on nicknames such as Agent Zero and Hibachi, he would predict a 50-point game and deliver. He would produce highlight-reel buzzer-beating shots, turning his back to the net and raising his arms in triumph before the ball was through the net.

But Arenas tore up his left knee during a game in April 2007, leading to the first of three operations on that knee in the span of 1½ years.

He played in only 13 games in 2007-08, and only two games last season. He was healthy from the start of the current season and had been showing flashes of his previous brilliance, scoring 45 points in a game against Phoenix last month.

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