After a horrifying car accident, Gilbert Arenas shares emotional details about his son Aliya’s recovery and the hero who saved him.
There are moments when the game stops. When rankings and Buzz adoption blend into the background, and what’s important is the breath, heartbeat and the sound of a father running towards his son. Almost two weeks ago, Gilbert Arena lived at that moment.
His son, Alija, a 5-star recruit, a 16-year-old genius with USC dreams – was in a medically induced coma after a horrifying car accident. Previous NBA All-Stars could only watch, wait and hope. And, surprisingly, the story has changed. I breathed from the silence. A second chance out of fear.
My father’s worst morning
It started like any other morning in the arena home – early and routine. Always on guard, Gilbert opened the Tesla app to see where Aliya was. Jim said. Everything is good. But then his daughter went in and the world changed.
“Did you listen?” she asked.
No parents want to hear those words. It’s not 4:30am.
Gilbert Arenas shared the latest updates on his son’s five-star USC commit Alijaarena following a car accident two weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/o9lezv5cgl
– Dampatrick Show (@dpshow) May 6, 2025
Gilbert sprinted to the hospital, questioning flying through his mind, panic in his chest. Was it his car? Wasn’t that even Arya? The app misunderstood him. The gym location was fake. In reality, Alija was unconscious and was trapped inside a broken Tesla cyber truck after leaving the road, hitting a fire hydrant and colliding with a tree.
Gilbert Arenas talks about a car accident in his son Alijah’s car
He was not seen – his limbs were broken or burned. However, insidious and quiet smoke filled the cabin, and Alija had inhaled it for nearly ten minutes. He was alive, but he had a hard time breathing. The doctor placed him in a medically induced coma, stabilizing him and healing his lungs. Gilbert, helpless but hopeful, waited by his son.
It was the longest wait of his life. And slowly, Aliya began to wake up.
Angel on the roadside
It wasn’t just machines and medicine that saved Aliya. It was a stranger – or as Gilbert called them “angels.”
In the early morning silence, a small group of bystanders heard the crash. They may have stayed in bed and dismissed the noise. But they didn’t. They traced the sounds and found scenes of devastation. Futuristically designed CyberTruck does not offer traditional door handles. Helpless, the door cannot be opened from the outside.
But somehow those bystanders reached Aliya. They pulled him out of the wreck. They gave him a chance before the first responder arrived.
Gilbert is still in awe. “I’m lucky for him,” he said.
Aliya was confused and fighting. His strength – the same strength that made him the top recruit – awakened him. The doctors sedate him, protect him, treat the damage caused by smoke, and sedate him to help his lungs.
But without those early heroes, Gilbert knows the outcome could have been much different. The moment we managed to finish it all, it was humanity that made it all the difference, quick, quiet, selfless.
A laugh that informed me of healing
Recovery can take many forms. For Aliya, it was not a step or breath that made hope known – it was a joke.
Liezing in a hospital under UCLA’s medical umbrella, Aliya smiled and told her father: “Sorry to UCLA,” humor. Front of the audience. The essence of teenagers returning to their own.
For Gilbert, that laugh was everything.
Kids these days forget that Gilbert Arenas was actually great in the league. pic.twitter.com/jefedortdt
– John (@iam_johnw) April 8, 2020
Gilbert Arenas talks about a car accident in his son Alijah’s car
Alija concluded his third year with Chatsworth High. The 6-foot-6 security guard was one of the most coveted prospects in the country, courted by blue blood like Kentucky and Kansas before choosing to stay home with USC. His future was mapped, including court dreams, bright lights, national stages.
Still, none of them were more than one breath. Rather than waking up. Rather than joking with your dad.
He’s back to basketball – that seems certain now. My body is healed. The spirit never left. But lingering isn’t his rival ranking or commitment status. Life is a reminder of how fragile it is, for all its promises. And sometimes, being fourth in the country is far less important than seeing your father.