April 24 is a date Alijah Arenas won’t forget anytime soon. The 18-year-old, son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas was driving home from the gym when things took a terrifying turn. According to reports, Alijah lost control of the Tesla Cybertruck he was driving in Reseda, a neighborhood in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. The truck slammed into a tree and a fire hydrant, leaving the vehicle wrecked and the area in chaos.

As a result of the crash and smoke inhalation, Alijah was placed in an induced coma after being rushed to a nearby hospital. It was a terrifying situation for everyone close to the family. But thankfully, the news turned hopeful pretty quickly. Gilbert Arenas later confirmed in a statement that his son didn’t suffer “major injuries” after coming out of the coma. During Monday’s episode of Gil’s Arena, host Josiah Johnson shared an encouraging update: “Happy to announce that Alijah is doing much better. Just got off the phone with Gil. … Alijah’s doing better, walking, talking, progressing very well, should be released from the hospital very soon. No major injuries as a result of the car accident.” Thankfully, by the grace of God, Alijah was released from the hospital the following Wednesday.

But the scare left his father, Gilbert Arenas, completely rattled. On The Dan Patrick Show, the former NBA All-Star opened up about the terrifying moment he got the news. He said, “It was devastating well it was because you know usually I wake up at and I go to the Tesla app to see if he’s heading home or if he’s at the gym. So his car is at the gym so I continue my workout and my daughter said  “what are you doing?” i’m like “obviously i’m working out.” and she said “you haven’t heard your son just got an accident at at the gym?” they’re like “no he’s at the hospital.” so i just stopped everything and ran over there and then was like “what the hell’s going on like was it his car what’s going on?”

Initially, Gilbert was completely thrown off. His Tesla app showed Alijah’s car parked outside the gym. But in reality, Alijah was hospitalized. It didn’t add up. But a few days later, as Alijah began waking up and the medication wore off, the real story surfaced. “I realized that the app actually malfunctioned, and I found that out a couple of days later when he started waking up and off the drugs”. Gilbert said.

A pretty terrifying glitch for any parent to deal with. Now, the big question is whether Gilbert plans to pursue legal action against Tesla for the app malfunction or let it slide. Given Gilbert’s no-nonsense track record, it feels highly unlikely he’ll just brush this one off. Definitely a situation worth keeping an eye on.

Gilbert Arenas shares how he’s guiding his son Alijah through life, hoops, and hard lessons

The ongoing conversation about Bronny James and the guiding hand of his father, LeBron James, brings up another familiar NBA father-son connection: Gilbert Arenas and his son, Alijah, who’s carving out his own path in the game.

Last year, ‘Agent Zero’ opened up about how he approaches mentoring his son through both basketball and life. Sharing a moment of honesty, Arenas revealed a conversation he had with Alijah following his freshman season. “I said, ‘Don’t worry about trying to live up to my footsteps… as a high school player, you’re far better than me, so that pressure should be gone. Now, let’s just get better,'” Arenas shared on ‘Dan Patrick Show.’

Since then, Alijah has thrived under his dad’s watchful eye. The five-star recruit is currently ranked No. 13 in the class of 2025. It was after reclassifying in December and committing to USC this January. He’s been a force at Chatsworth High School, leading his squad to the Division II state championship final this year. Along the way, he became the first boys’ high school player in L.A. history to cross the 3,000 career-point mark.

Alijah was also one of 48 players chosen for this April’s prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game. And remember, it’s a stage reserved for the nation’s top high school talent. Now, the focus shifts to whether his recent accident might throw a wrench in his fast-rising career. Either way, one thing’s clear: Gilbert Arenas isn’t leaving his son’s side.