NEW YORK — Gilbert Arenas tried joking about his gun trouble. David Stern found none of it funny.

Arenas was suspended indefinitely without pay yesterday by the NBA commissioner, who determined the player's behavior made him "not currently fit to take the court."

A day after the Washington Wizards guard was photographed before a game in Philadelphia pointing his index fingers, as if they were guns, at his teammates, Stern warned the former All-Star that his conduct will "ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse."

Arenas is under investigation by federal and local authorities after admittedly bringing guns to the Wizards' locker room. Stern originally planned to wait to take action, but he tired of Arenas' behavior.

On Tuesday, a day after meeting with law enforcement officials, Arenas said he feared Stern more than the authorities because the commissioner was "mean."

"The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us," Stern said.