Highly touted basketball prospect Alijah Arenas, son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, was involved in a significant traffic accident early Thursday morning in Los Angeles.
According to reports, the 18-year-old athlete, who recently committed to play for the USC Trojans men’s basketball team, was traveling in a Tesla Cybertruck around 5:00 AM when the incident occurred. ESPN confirmed that Arenas has been “hospitalized and placed into an induced coma” as a result.
Alijah, originally from California, is considered one of the nation’s top shooting guards in the 2026 recruiting class. He recently requested reclassification to accelerate his high school graduation to 2025.
His father, Gilbert Arenas, enjoyed a 12-year NBA career with four different teams and now hosts the popular basketball podcast “Gil’s Arena.” The pair shared a memorable moment earlier this month at the McDonald’s All-American Game in New York, where Alijah noted similarities between their personalities.
“Our personalities are a little the same,” Alijah remarked. “I feel like that’s my dad’s dream too, that I could get to that level.”
Speaking on Paul George’s podcast, “Podcast P,” Gilbert described his intensive coaching regimen for his son:
- “Ain’t no days off.”
- “We get [300 or] 400 shots up before school.”
- Early morning practice: “He’ll practice an hour and a half, then go to school, come home and work out…lifting right after. And then more shooting, more dribbling.”
Gilbert Arenas has five children, four with his former wife, Laura Govan. Alijah is one of those four.
