Five-star high school recruit Alijah Arenas made waves when he reclassified to the class of 2025. Committed to the USC Trojans, Alijah is on a path that his father Gilbert has meticulously mapped out for him. Given that Gil is a 3X All-NBA star, his expertise in navigating through the ebbs and flows of league basketball has certainly been a plus point for his son.
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A crucial aspect for any star when beginning their career is picking out the right agent/agency. Agents take up anywhere between 2-10% in fees on any deals signed so having a trusted financial partner is a must.
For Alijah, the right choice might be the most obvious one. Klutch Sports, led by Rich Paul, is at the top of the agency pecking order within the realm of the NBA. With LeBron James at its helm, they boast an impressive roster of clients such as Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Zach Lavine, and even NFL superstars like Jalen Hurts and Myles Garrett.
On the Dan Patrick Show, Gil spoke on his son pending decision regarding agency. “My son is thinking about going with Klutch Sports, working on the NIL side of it,” said former Wizards All-Star. Since the 2021 policy change by the NCAA allowing college athletes to monetise their name, image and likeness, this has become a crucial area, particularly for those with potential star value.
While Klutch seems like a given go-to for several, there are many reasons why Gil and Alijah specifically might go for Klutch. The first would be Gil’s tight relationship with LeBron. He has vehemently defended LeBron James and his son, Bronny. He’s repeatedly stated Bronny deserves his spot on an NBA roster and dispelled any notion that nepotism was at play regarding his 55th drafting to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Who was available who is showing you right now they should have been that [55th] pick. No one, right? So, being 19 years old, athletic for a point guard, 6’2, fast, right? Strong. Can shoot, can dribble. That was the right pick.”
Aside from consistently siding for the James family, Gil Arenas has also been involved in Bronny and company’s lives for quite some time. LeBron enlisted Gil’s help many moons ago to gauge how good his eldest was and following this, pushed him to work him out.
On Podcast P, Arenas claimed he put Bronny through strenuous workouts with another top recruit, Skyy Clark. “Stand up for yourself!” yelled Gil to Bronny when the latter was getting ‘beat up on’.
Bronny proceeded to pull his socks up and go toe to toe for the rest of the workout. Combine these workouts with his pre-existing relationship with James’ family and it’s easy to understand why Klutch Sports is on top of his list.
It should also be mentioned that Rich Paul was on Gil’s Arena as well some time back. So, it isn’t merely a relationship between James and Arenas but a direct one with the head of Klutch as well. Safe to say that Alijah is off the market for any other agency that may have looked to add a 5-star recruit to their rolls.
