Gilbert Arenas' patriotic spirit has landed the ex-NBA great in hot water, as he was busted by cops early Thursday morning with a truckload of illegal fireworks, according to TMZ.

Law enforcement sources say Arenas was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol around 2:30 a.m. in L.A. for speeding in a Ford pickup, at which point cops discovered the vehicle was loaded to the brim with fireworks, sitting in plain sight in the bed and cab of the truck.

There was such a large quantity of fireworks -- 100 pounds, to be exact -- that the LAPD bomb squad was called to handle the load.

A TMZ camera crew counted around 20 boxes being unloaded.

Arenas was booked for misdemeanor possession and has been released without bail.

Source: tmz.com