After a terrifying automotive crash, Gilbert Arenas shares emotional particulars on son Alijah’s restoration and the heroes who saved him.
There are moments when the sport stops. When rankings and recruiting buzz dissolve into the background, and all that issues is breath, heartbeat, and the sound of a father operating towards his son. Almost two weeks in the past, Gilbert Arenas lived that second.
His son, Alijah — a five-star recruit, a 16-year-old phenom with USC goals — was in a medically induced coma after a horrific automotive crash. The previous NBA All-Star may solely watch, wait, and hope. After which, remarkably, the story turned. From silence, got here breath. From worry, a second likelihood.
A Father’s Worst Morning
It started like every other morning within the Arenas family — early and routine. Gilbert, all the time vigilant, opened the Tesla app to examine the place Alijah was. The health club, it mentioned. All good. However then his daughter walked in, and the world shifted.
“You haven’t heard?” she requested.
No father or mother desires to listen to these phrases. Not at 4:30 a.m. Not ever.
Gilbert Arenas shared an replace on his son, 5-star USC commit Alijah Arenas, following a automotive accident 2 weeks in the past. pic.twitter.com/O9LEZV5cGl
— Dan Patrick Present (@dpshow) Might 6, 2025
Gilbert sprinted to the hospital, questions flying by means of his thoughts, panic in his chest. Was it his automotive? Was it even Alijah? The app had misled him. The health club location was false. In fact, Alijah was unconscious, having been trapped inside his mangled Tesla Cybertruck after veering off the highway, hitting a fireplace hydrant, and colliding with a tree.
Gilbert Arenas Talks About Son Alijah’s Automobile Crash With Dan Patrick
His accidents weren’t seen — no damaged limbs, no burns. However smoke, insidious and silent, had crammed the cabin, and Alijah had inhaled it for almost 10 minutes. He was alive, however struggling to breathe. Docs positioned him in a medically induced coma to stabilize him, to let his lungs heal. Gilbert, helpless however hopeful, waited beside his son.
It was the longest wait of his life. After which, slowly, Alijah started to wake.
Angels on the Roadside
It wasn’t simply machines and drugs that saved Alijah. It was strangers — or as Gilbert calls them, “angels.”
Within the early morning stillness, a small group of bystanders heard the crash. They might have stayed in mattress, dismissing the noise. However they didn’t. They adopted the sound and located a scene of devastation. The Cybertruck, with its futuristic design, presents no conventional door handles. Powerless, its doorways are unattainable to open from the skin.
However by some means, these bystanders received to Alijah. They pulled him from the wreck. They gave him an opportunity earlier than first responders ever arrived.
Gilbert continues to be in awe. “Fortunate for him,” he mentioned, “trapped inside a automotive for therefore lengthy, it’s fortunate there have been those that heard it that early.”
Alijah was disoriented and combating. His power — the identical drive that made him a high recruit — made him thrash awake. Docs sedated him to guard him, to deal with the smoke harm, to assist his lungs.
However with out these early heroes, Gilbert is aware of the end result may have been far completely different. In a second that would’ve ended all the pieces, it was humanity — fast, quiet, selfless — that made all of the distinction.
The Snicker That Signaled Therapeutic
Restoration can take many kinds. For Alijah, it wasn’t a step or a breath that signaled hope — it was a joke.
Mendacity in a hospital below the UCLA medical umbrella, Alijah cracked a smile and instructed his dad: “Inform Mus I’m sorry I’m at UCLA.” Humor. Presence. The essence of a youngster coming again into his personal.
For Gilbert, that chuckle was all the pieces.
Youngsters lately neglect that Gilbert arenas was really good within the league and never simply humorous on social media lmao pic.twitter.com/jEFEDoRtdt
— John (@iam_johnw) April 8, 2020
Gilbert Arenas Talks About Son Alijah’s Automobile Crash With Dan Patrick
Alijah had simply wrapped up his junior yr at Chatsworth Excessive. The 6-foot-6 guard was some of the coveted prospects within the nation, courted by blue bloods like Kentucky and Kansas earlier than selecting to remain house with USC. His future was mapped out — courtroom goals, shiny lights, nationwide phases.
And but, none of that mattered greater than a single breath. Than waking up. Than joking with dad.
He’ll return to basketball — that a lot appears sure now. The physique is therapeutic. The spirit by no means left. However what lingers isn’t his Rivals rating or his dedication standing. It’s the reminder that life, for all its promise, is fragile. And that typically, being No. 4 within the nation is way much less necessary than having the ability to look your father within the eyes — and smile.
