Alijah Arenas, the son of former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas, is once again showing sign of improvement following his harrowing automobile accident. Per numerous reports, the 18-year-old basketball prodigy wrecked his Tesla Cybertruck with police presuming that speeding caused the near-deadly crash.
It was so bad that his vehicle wrapped around and tree while also causing a fire hydrant to spew gallons upon gallons of water into the Los Angeles streets. Alijah Arenas' electric pickup truck burst into his flames as well. Thankfully, bystanders managed to pull him from the wreckage that early Thursday (April 24) morning.
He was then escorted to a hospital where he was placed into an induced coma. He stayed under for about day and a half before awaking. On the 26th, "Alijah opened his eyes and was able to write on a piece of paper that he remembered the smoke and asked, 'Did anyone get hurt?' Although he remains intubated, this progress marks a critical step forward in his recovery," his family said.
That was just one of the "significant signs of progress," Alijah Arenas has been making though. Per a new update from TMZ Sports and the family's rep, "He was able to walk on his own and speak with his mother, Laura Govan, and his father, Gilbert Arenas, by his side. Alijah remains hospitalized under close observation, with additional testing still underway. The families continue to ask for privacy and ongoing prayers during this critical time."
Alijah Arenas USC
This is obviously great news especially considering the severity of the ordeal and how recent it was. However, there is one big "but" amongst the rest of this relieving news. That same rep also told the outlet, "Although Alijah has shown significant improvement following the traumatic experience, he still has a long road to full recovery due to severe smoke inhalation."
That was certainly a possibility as the video footage suggested he was probably inside the burning vehicle for at least a couple of minutes. Overall, though, this is still incredible to hear and we wish Alijah and his loved ones all the best going forward.
A timetable for how long it will take the future NBA player to get back to 100% is unknown. A quick internet search says that it could only be a few weeks for the lungs to recover. However, it could be as long as year just depending on numerous factors. Thankfully, Arenas doesn't have any broken bones or anything that's too severe.
With their being still quite a bit of time before the 2025-2026 NCAA men's basketball season gets underway, Alijah Arenas has some leeway. But at the same time, he doesn't as the soon-to-be USC freshman guard will probably having training coming up. He could redshirt and gain another year of eligibility, but we will see what happens.
