Gilbert Arenas‘ 18-year-old son, Alijah Arenas, has been placed in a medically induced coma after being a victim of a car crash on Thursday.
Alijah, a University of Southern California (USC) commit, aspires to become an NBA player like his father and is a highly rated talent.
Gilbert shares Alijah with his ex, Laura Govan, who asked for prayers after news of her son’s hospitalization made headlines.
Gilbert Arenas’ Son Involved In Car Crash
Prayers are up for the former NBA star after his son was involved in a car crash.
ESPN‘s NBA insider, Shams Charania, tweeted about the accident, writing, “Five-star prospect and USC commit Alijah Arenas was involved in a serious car crash early Thursday morning.”
Charania also disclosed that Alijah was “hospitalized and placed into an induced coma,” before adding, “Arenas, 18, is the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.”
Meanwhile, TMZ reported that Alijah was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after crashing his Tesla Cybertruck.
The cause of the accident remains unknown, but the outlet reported that images showed the Cybertruck completely damaged on the side of the road in a Los Angeles neighborhood.
Gilbert Arenas’ Son’s Medically Induced Coma Was Due To Smoke Inhalation
Reports also revealed that emergency crews rushed to the scene around 4:55 AM after firefighters responded to reports of a trapped victim inside the vehicle.
Everyone inside the Cybertruck had gotten out when help eventually arrived.
Sources also revealed that the front of the vehicle was in flames and an 18-year-old was rushed to the hospital in “serious condition.”
However, in an update, high school basketball insider Tarek Fattal shared a post on X, revealing that Alijah was placed in a coma due to smoke inhalation.
He wrote, “Arenas was driving a Cyber Truck. It caught on fire, and he inhaled a lot of smoke. According to sources, this was the reason for induced coma (protocol for smoke inhalation).”
Fattal added, “Arenas suffered no major bodily injuries.”
Alijah Arenas’ Mom Pleads For Prayers
Meanwhile, Alijah’s mom, Laura Govan, shared a message with her 1.5 million Instagram followers after news of her son’s accident went viral.
She wrote, “I NEED YOUR F-CKEN PRAYERS,” alongside multiple praying hands emojis.
Many of her fans and followers sent prayers and messages of support to Govan.
Someone wrote, “We are all praying mama. God IS good. He’s got your baby.”
Another person shared, “You guys are all the way covered. We got you.”
Television personality, Brandi Maxiell, commented, “We’re all praying and will keep lifting him up in prayer! He’s already covered and healed, Laura!!! God’s got him!”
Alijah Arenas’ Incredible Numbers
In a December 2024 report, ESPN highlighted Alijah’s impressive performance up to that point.
According to the sports outlet, the teenager was ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 4 overall prospect in the class of 2026.
The report followed Gilbert’s announcement that Alijah was reclassifying into the 2025 class.
The proud dad said, “We’re reclassing up right now. I think they just approved it today. This is his senior year now.” After completing the reclassification, Alijah became one of the five best available recruits in the country.
The 18-year-old established himself as one of the top offensive talents in high school basketball. During six games on the Adidas 3SSB circuit in July, he put up impressive numbers, averaging 22 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting over 46% from beyond the arc.
One of Alijah’s standout performances came against Team Loaded VA, led by top-five prospect Nate Ament, where he dropped 29 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Gilbert Arenas’ Close Bond With His Son
Gilbert and Alijah Arenas share a close bond, which was on display when they participated in an interview with Trey Phills at the McDonald’s All-American Game.
During the chat, Alijah said he and his dad share similar personalities. He explained, “Our personalities are a little the same. I feel like that’s my dad’s dream too, that I could get to that level.”
Gilbert said of his son, “It’s very surprising watching him actually dive into the game, you know, physically, mentally.”
The father-son duo also appeared on Paul George’s “Podcast P” during which the former NBA player shared details of how he coaches Alijah.
Gilbert said, “Ain’t no days off … We get 3 [hundred or] 400 shots up before school.” He added, “He’s coachable … depending on what day it is in the mornings we’ll get up at like 5:30 so he [practices] an hour and a half.”
The proud dad also said, “[He goes to school, comes home and then] works out and we got lifting right after and then we got more shooting, more dribbling.”
