“My son could’ve died.” That was Gilbert Arenas a few months ago, grappling with every parent’s worst nightmare. His son, prized basketball recruit Alijah Arenas, had survived a near-fatal car crash after his Tesla Cybertruck malfunctioned, catching fire and trapping him inside. He was pulled from the wreck by two heroic strangers, a terrifying incident that left him in a medically induced coma.

Alijah himself later detailed the horrifying experience. He was heading home from practice when his Cybertruck suddenly lost control. “I switched lanes without meaning to, and I knew something was wrong… The wheel wasn’t responding to me as if I wasn’t in the car,” he said. After crashing, he went in and out of consciousness as the vehicle filled with fog and burst into flames. Remarkably, even after being rescued and making a full recovery, he showed immense maturity. “Honestly, I take full responsibility for the crash, whether it was me, another car, a malfunction,” Arenas said. “I don’t want to put anyone else in this situation.”

But in a story of incredible resilience, Alijah recovered. By June, he was back on the court, and soon after, he announced his commitment to USC, a moment of triumph over tragedy. His father couldn’t have been prouder, boasting on Instagram that the Trojans had just gotten a “walking bucket.” It felt like the happy ending to a horrific story.

Now, in a cruel twist of fate, the Arenas family has been hit with more troubling news. Just as he was preparing for his freshman season, it was reported that Alijah has suffered another major setback. According to a report from NBA insider Chris Haynes, “USC’s prized recruit Alijah Arenas has suffered a tear of the meniscus, putting him in jeopardy of missing the entire 2025-26 college basketball season.”

The news is a devastating blow for a young man who has already been through so much. According to Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT, the recovery timeline will depend on the nature of the surgery. A partial meniscectomy could mean a 6-8 week recovery, but a full repair, while better for his long-term health, could sideline him for 2-3 months or more. Either way, his dream freshman season is now in serious doubt.

The reaction from the NBA community has been one of shock and sympathy. One fan on social media summed up the feeling perfectly: “Damn, prayers man. Really rough last few months.” It’s a heartbreaking turn for a young player who has already shown so much strength, and no wonder the basketball community is reacting with an outpouring of support.

Fans react to Alijah Arenas’s latest injury

As the news of Alijah’s knee injury spread, the reaction from the basketball community was a mix of heartbreak and disbelief. How much can one person endure? The overwhelming sentiment was one of pure sympathy for a young man who has already been through an unimaginable ordeal. “My brother can’t catch a holy break,” one fan wrote, a comment that perfectly captured the feeling of a cruel twist of fate.

It almost feels impossibly unfair. Just a few months ago, Alijah was in a medically induced coma. His father, Gilbert, called the bystanders who pulled him from the wreck “angels,” and Alijah’s first words upon waking were, “Did anyone get hurt?” To go from that incredible high to another devastating injury has fans wondering if something else is at play. “Who put a hex on this kid?” another fan asked.

With another long, grueling rehab process ahead, many fans immediately shifted their concern from his knee to his spirit. “God Lee 🙏🏾I pray for this young man’s mental,” one supporter commented. It’s a powerful point. Alijah isn’t just recovering from a torn meniscus; he’s also dealing with the immense psychological trauma of a near-death experience.

Others echoed the sentiment, viewing him as basketball royalty facing another major test. “Praying for the young king man 🙏🏿,” another added. The “young king” title speaks to his status as a top-ranked recruit and the son of an NBA star, a reminder of the immense pressure he was already under before all of this.

But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Alijah Arenas, it’s that his character is as strong as his crossover. Even in the hospital after the crash, his sense of humor was intact. Gilbert Arenas shared that his son was already making jokes, telling his family to “tell [USC head coach Eric Musselman] I’m sorry I’m at UCLA.” It’s that same mental fortitude that the NBA community is now praying he can tap into once again as he faces this latest, heartbreaking challenge.