Star High School Athlete, USC Recruit And Son Of NBA Star Injured In Major Crash

WINNETKA, CA — Top USC basketball recruit, Chatsworth High School star basketball player and son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, Alijah Arenas was seriously injured Thursday in a single-vehicle crash in Winnetka, according to authorities and published reports. The star athlete is reportedly in a coma as a result of the early morning crash, ESPN reported.

According to a Los Angeles Fire Department, paramedics were called to the 7900 block of Corbin Avenue at about 4:55 a.m. after a Tesla Cybertruck crashed into a tree and fire hydrant.

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.

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.

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

USC men's basketball coach Eric Musselman said in a statement on X: “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.”

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.

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