The family of Alijah Arenas, a five-star basketball recruit committed to the University of Southern California, said Friday that the high school star is no longer in a medically induced coma following a serious car crash Thursday morning.
Arenas’ family announced the update on his condition in a statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania. It said Arenas, 18, remains intubated but has shown “significant signs of progress over the last 24 hours.”
The statement includes an account from an unnamed individual who helped rescue Arenas from his Tesla Cybertruck after it struck a fire hydrant and a tree before catching fire.
“I remember hearing banging on the car window, but I couldn’t see anything because the smoke was so thick. That’s when I realized someone was inside,” the person said. “I tried to break the window, but it wouldn’t give. Then I saw one of the windows was cracked just enough and we used everything we had to bend it and pull (Arenas) out. The car was on fire. We just knew we had to get him out.”
According to the statement, now that Arenas is no longer in a medically induced coma, he can open his eyes and write. The statement went on to say that one of the first things Arenas did after emerging from his coma was to write a note asking if anyone else was hurt in the crash. According to police, no one else was injured in the crash.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) told The Athletic it responded to a traffic accident at 4:55 a.m. involving a Cybertruck that hit a “tree/hydrant with fire involved.” The LAFD could not confirm the driver’s name, but said the 18-year-old male was outside the vehicle when firefighters arrived.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that information and was also unable to confirm the victim’s name. LAFD said the person went to the hospital in serious condition.
A 6-foot-6, 195-pound shooting guard from Chatsworth High School outside Los Angeles, Arenas is the No. 10 overall recruit in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports. The outlet ranks him as the country’s top player at his position.
Arenas averaged 30.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in high school. He committed to USC in January after receiving offers from 20 Division I programs. Earlier this month, he played for the West in the 2025 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, scoring 11 points in the 105-92 win.
After widespread reports of the crash, USC coach Eric Musselman said the program’s “thoughts and prayers” were with Arenas.
“Please keep him, his teammates and friends and the entire Arenas family in your prayers,” Musselman said.
Arenas is the son of Gilbert Arenas, a three-time NBA All-Star, and reality television personality Laura Goven.
Gilbert Arenas played 12 seasons in the NBA for four teams. The Golden State Warriors drafted him in the second round of the 2001 draft. He signed with the Washington Wizards in 2003 and was a face of the franchise for most of his career. Arenas played his final NBA season with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012.
(Photo: Abigail Dollins / Statesman Journal / Imagn Images)
