Alijah Arenas is making incredible progress not even a week after he was involved in a car crash in Southern California and placed into a medically induced coma.
Alijah, a five-star USC commit and the son of former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas, is walking and talking again in the hospital and is expected to return home in the near future, producer Josiah Johnson shared Monday on the latest episode of the “Gil’s Arena” show. He also is expected to avoid all major injuries after the crash.
Josiah provides update on Alijah Arenas 🙏 pic.twitter.com/6JyxamqO83
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) April 28, 2025
“I’m happy to announce that Alijah is doing much better. I just got off the phone with Gil about five minutes ago,” Johnson said. “Alijah’s doing better, walking, talking, progressing well. Should be released from the hospital very soon. No major injuries as a result of the car accident.”
Alijah, 18, was in a Tesla Cybertruck just before 5 a.m. on Thursday morning when he crashed into a fire hydrant and slammed into a tree, according to multiple reports. The accident was caused by the loss of control of the vehicle. Alcohol and drug use are not suspected, per the report, and Johnson said he was driving back from the gym at the time of the accident.
Alijah was deemed stable at the scene, but he was transported to a local hospital and was briefly placed into a medically induced coma due to smoke inhalation. The family said in a statement that Alijah wrote on a piece of paper that he remembered the smoke from the crash and asked, “Did anyone get hurt?” after he woke up the following day.
Alijah is a 6-foot-6 guard from Chatsworth High School in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. He is a five-star Rivals.com recruit who received several notable offers, including from Kansas and Kentucky, before he committed to play at USC in January. He helped lead Chatsworth High to the CIF Division II state championship game in March, too, and he left the school as the all-time City Section scoring leader.
Gilbert Arenas spent 11 seasons in the league, most of which were with the Wizards, from 2001-2012. He also had short stints with the Golden State Warriors, who selected him with the No. 31 overall pick in 2001 out of Arizona, the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies. He now hosts the “Gil’s Arena” podcast with Underdog Fantasy Sports, though he’s been away from the show since Alijah’s accident.
