Gilbert Arenas’ son Alijah is one of the best high school players in the country. The five-star recruit is ranked second among shooting guards and has several of the nation’s best programs vying for his commitment. However, the 17-year-old didn’t only get his father’s athletic genes. Alijah also has a penchant for trash-talking like Arenas and gave the world a glimpse of it by talking smack to the retired guard.
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A TMZ Sports reporter spotted the father-son duo at an airport and got a couple of interesting soundbites from them. He asked the young forward whether he dominated his father in one-on-one games. He revealed that it was the opposite.
He said that Arenas often beat him in their duels when they began competing against each other a year ago. However, now that Alijah’s 6-foot-6 and weighs 197 pounds, the retired guard wants no smoke. The 17-year-old said,
“He be ducking. He be ducking but, when I started a year ago, he was winning, but now? Nah. He ain’t gonna be winning now.”
Arenas had no qualms about admitting that his son was telling the truth. He said,
“No no no no. I’m smart. Once I realized I can lose, I stopped playing. No, never took an L.”
The three-time All-Star knows better than to go up against a basketball prodigy who has offers from Kentucky, Alabama, Arizona, UCLA, Texas, Kansas, and Ole Miss, among others. However, he’s the one responsible for turning the teenager into one of the coveted players in the country.
Alijah is receiving the best training possible
When Arenas appeared on Paul George’s podcast earlier this year, he spoke about supervising his son’s training regime. He revealed that they start at 5:30 AM every day. The routine includes 30 minutes of dribbling drills, running exercises, and strength training, followed by shooting 300-400 shots before school.
He mentioned that he wanted to instill a professional work ethic in Alijah, preparing him for future basketball success.
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Alijah is in the 2026 recruiting class but will likely make his decision next year. There’s palpable excitement among fans to see whether he’d be as good as his father. If all goes to plan, a second-generation Arenas will be in the NBA in 2027, potentially as one of the top picks in the draft.
