USC commit Alijah Arenas out of medically induced coma following car crash

Alijah Arenas, the 5-star USC commit and son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, came out of his coma on Friday, according to a statement by his family shared by ESPN's Shams Charania.

Update: Alijah Arenas is now out of his induced coma and making progress in recovery while being intubated following a car crash Thursday.

Statement from the family: pic.twitter.com/SgzHbrPJ3c
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 25, 2025

"Alijah Arenas has come out of his coma and shown significant signs of progress within the last 24 hours," the statement said. "In a powerful and emotional moment, 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?'"

The family confirmed that Arenas was still intubated, but that his progress was encouraging. They also shared the story given by one of his rescuers at the scene.

"I remember hearing banging on the car window, but I couldn't see anything because the smoke was so thick," they said, "That's when I realized someone was inside. 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 him out. The car was on fire. We just knew we had to get him out."

Arenas was involved in a single-vehicle crash just before 5 AM on Thursday, and rescue crews arrived to find that his Tesla Cybertruck had hit both a tree and fire hydrant, and was on fire.

TMZ released video of the aftermath of the crash, which showed the Cybertruck burning as people worked to free Arenas.

Arenas was one of the top prospects in the country in this high school class, ranked 7th in the 247Sports composite, and the top ranked shooting guard in his class. A McDonald's All-American, he committed to play for USC in January, and signed an NIL deal with Adidas shortly thereafter.

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