Alijah Arenas, Top Basketball Prospect And Son Of NBA Star, Awakens From Coma

CHATSWORTH, CA — Former Chatsworth High School basketball star and USC recruit Alijah Arenas, reportedly awoke from a coma following a single-vehicle crash in Winnetka.

Arenas, the son of NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, remains hospitalized but is now alert, according to ESPN NBA reporter Shams Charania. Charania tweeted a statement from the Arenas family Friday.

“In a remarkable and hopeful development, Alijah Arenas has come out of his coma and has shown significant signs of progress within the last 24 hours," he wrote. "In a powerful and emotional moment, Alijah opened his eyes and was able to write on a piece of paper that he remembered the smoke and asked, "Did anyone else get hurt?"

Arenas reportedly remains intubated. Charania also told the story of one of Arenas' rescuers, who found the young athlete trapped inside his burning Cybertruck. Unable to see through the smoke filling up the truck and unable to shatter the windows, the bystanders managed to wedge open a window and pull Arenas out of the burning wreckage, according to Charania.

Arenas is considered one of the nation's top prospects as a USC recruit.

Firefighters and paramedics were dispatched around 4:56 a.m. Thursday to the 7900 block of Corbin Avenue regarding a vehicle that had crashed into a tree and a fire hydrant, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

NBC 4 reported a law enforcement source said speed could have been a factor is the crash.

Photos from the celebrity site TMZ showed a geyser of water shooting into the air after the crash and the Tesla Cybertruck with severe front end damage.

The occupant was already out of the vehicle when fire crews arrived. The person was taken to a hospital in serious condition, the LAFD's Margaret Stewart told City News Service.

USC posted a message online Thursday afternoon saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with Alijah and his family following this morning's accident. Please keep him, his teammates and friends and the entire Arenas family in your prayers."

Stewart did not identify the injured person, but multiple media outlets -- citing unnamed sources -- said it was Alijah Arenas, a Chatsworth High School star considered one of the nation's top prospects. ESPN, which broke the news, reported that Arenas had been placed in a medically induced coma.

Arenas played for Chatsworth High School in the Division II state championships this year, making it all the way to the finals. With that game, he became the first high school boys basketball player in the Los Angeles area to reach 3,000 career points.

He was also one of 48 players selected to play in McDonald’s All-American Games in April, which showcases the best high school basketball players in the country.

Alijah's mother, Laura Govan, posted on social media asking for prayers for her son. Gilbert Arenas canceled his online talk show scheduled for Thursday.

His father, Gilbert Arenas, played basketball at Ulysses S. Grant High School in Valley Glen, where his number 25 was retired by the school.

City News Service, the Asscoaited Press and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.