Just weeks ago, Gilbert Arenas’ son, 18-year-old Alijah Arenas, one of the most promising young hoopers in the country, was involved in a serious accident. His Tesla Cybertruck hit a tree and burst into flames. The crash was so severe that strangers rushed to pull him from the burning wreckage. While many feared the worst, Alijah managed to escape with no burns, broken bones, or fractures. A few days ago, Alijah came back home and is now recovering, surrounded by his family.
Advertisement
During a recent conversation with Dan Patrick, Gil said that Alijah is doing very well now. When the accident occurred, Gil had checked the Tesla app to see if his son was at the gym or was headed home. Due to a malfunction on the app, it showed that he was still at the gym, but in reality, Alijah was in a car crash.
Fortunately, with the help of bystanders, Alijah was taken out of the wreckage. However, he inhaled a lot of smoke. Gil said, “He was a little stronger than they thought. He was waking up and going crazy, so they put him in an induced coma…He was in the car for 10-12 minutes.” Putting him in medically induced coma was a standard protocol for someone who had inhaled a lot of smoke.
Gil said, “His sense of humor was still there when he was waking up.” When Alijah was informed that he was at the UCLA hospital, he wrote, “Tell Mus [USC coach Eric Musselman], I’m sorry that I’m at UCLA.” Alijah has committed to the USC Trojans men’s basketball program.
It was nothing short of a miracle. No serious injuries. No lasting damage. And most importantly, the same spirit that made Alijah a top recruit was still intact. When Alijah came back home, Gil gave him a LiAngelo Ball-themed welcome by playing his hit song ‘Tweaker.’
Gil uploaded the video on his Instagram and wrote, “Funny enough, Alijah told his boys way back: ‘If I’m ever in a coma, don’t bring flowers. Bust in rapping ‘I might swerve, bend that corner, woah’ by [LiAngelo Ball] like it’s the national anthem.”
Humor has played a big role in the Arenas household after Alijah’s injury. Now, all that’s left is for the youngster to fully recover and have a successful stint with the Trojans.
