Alijah Arenas health update: Father Gilbert reveals latest on USC commit's recovery from car accident

Alijah Arenas, a Five-Star+ prospect in this incoming freshman class, was in an early morning car accident two weeks ago. He has since returned home with the latest update on him coming from Gilbert Arenas, his father and a former All-NBA guard himself.

Gilbert Arenas appeared on ‘Pardon My Take’ on Friday to promote the release of ‘Untold: Shooting Guards’, a Netflix documentary about the gun incident that he had with the Washington Wizards back in 2009. That interview, though, started with a check-in on Alijah Arenas with his dad explaining what happened that morning.

“Yeah, yeah. He’s doing a lot better,” Gilbert Arenas said. “Um, yeah. I mean, it was a scary moment. You know, it’s – teenage kids, when they get these cars, you know, you kind of get a worry about them sometimes.

“You know, 4 a.m., or was it 5. It was about 5 a.m.. He’s coming back from working out before he went to school and he said the car computer just malfunctioned and then, ran him right into a fire hydrant and tree.”

Arenas had to be rescued from the Tesla Cybertruck after he crashed, as he was trapped inside for a time while inhaling smoke from the fire that was caused. That led to him being placed into an induced coma for a day in recovery, as he’d spend a few days in the hospital before his release last week with no other injuries sustained.

A native of Chatsworth, California, Alijah Arenas is one of the top recruits in the country for the class of 2025. He’s the No. 12 prospect in the nation as the No. 3 SG, behind only Darryn Peterson (Kansas) and Meleek Thomas (Arkansas), and the No. 3 player from the state, after only Peterson and then Brayden Burries (Arizona). That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Arenas committed to USC back at the end of January over other programs like Arizona, Kentucky, Louisville, and Kansas. He’s now the top freshman for the Trojans in a Top 10 class, along with CG Jerry Easter, under Eric Musselman. However, this all now makes things more interesting for him as part of the in-city rivalry, as he received his medical care from this accident at UCLA.

“Yeah, he’s going to USC next year. And, you know, UCLA saved his life so that’s going to be interesting, right?” Gilbert Arenas said.

The Arenas family has had a long two weeks now, namely with the rehab of one of their children in Alijah. He sounds to be doing well, though, in fully recovering in time for the summer ahead of his freshman year in college.