Alijah Arenas, son of former Washington Wizards player Gilbert Arenas and a top high school basketball recruit, was seriously injured Thursday in an early-morning car crash in California.
The Los Angeles Police Department said on social media that it responded “to a single vehicle traffic collision” at 4:56 a.m. local time Thursday when “a vehicle struck a tree and fire hydrant,” and that an “18-year-old man was transported to the hospital in stable condition.” That aligns with news reports identifying Arenas as the injured person, who was driving a Cybertruck when he crashed near the corner of Corbin Avenue and Blythe Street in Reseda, northwest of downtown Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley.
Arenas’s mother, Laura Govan, asked for “prayers” in an Instagram post.
Arenas, a senior at Chatsworth High School and one of the top boys’ basketball recruits in the country, announced in January that he would attend college at USC. Trojans Coach Eric Musselman sent thoughts Arenas’s way on social media.
— Eric Musselman (@EricPMusselman) April 24, 2025
Video obtained by TMZ shows the aftermath of the crash, with Arenas lying face down in a growing puddle of water created by a fire hydrant he had crashed into and onlookers trying to help him. Flames sprouted from the Cybertruck.
Tarek Fattal, who covers high school sports for Sports Illustrated, posted photos of the crash scene that were confirmed by the LAPD and said Arenas had been placed in a medically induced coma because of smoke inhalation but did not suffer any broken bones or other injuries.
These are screenshots from a video on the Citizen App from Arenas’ wreck off Corbin Ave. (confirmed by LAPD) in the San Fernando Valley.
Vehicle ran into a fire hydrant and tree at 4:55 a.m. pic.twitter.com/WlX3NuFhJy
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) April 24, 2025
Gilbert Arenas canceled Thursday’s episode of his “Gil’s Arena” podcast but otherwise has not commented.
