Josiah Johnson Provides Positive Update On Alijah Arenas' Condition

“As many of you know, this past Thursday, Gil’s son Alijah was involved in a single-car accident early in the morning. He was coming back from the gym getting ready to go back put some more work in the gym, lost control of the car, suffered an accident,” Johnson said on the podcast. “He was placed in an induced coma as a precautionary measure due to smoke inhalation.”

“Happy to announce that Alijah doing much better. Just got off the phone with Gil about five minutes ago. Alijah doing better. Walking, talking, progressing very well should be released from the hospital very soon,” Johnson said. “No major injuries as a result of the car accident.”

This is an extremely positive update less than one week since Arena’s accident. On the morning of the crash, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Los Angeles Fire Department responded early to a call about a Tesla Cybertruck crashing.

One witness explained that he was not able to see anything due to the thickness of the smoke. Once they realized someone was inside they were able to crack a window and use anything they could to pull Arenas out.

This update comes just a couple of days after the family released a statement the day after the crash. On the Friday after Arenas was sent to the hospital, the family provided an update that Arenas had opened his eyes and remembered what happened.

“In a remarkable and hopeful development, Alijah Arenas has come out of his coma and has shown significant signs of progress within the last 24 hours. 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 said.

There was an overwhelming amount of support across social media from fans to former NBA players. 

Arenas was initially a member of the 2026 recruiting class before reclassifying in December of 2024. From the class of 2025, Arenas is the No. 7 recruit in the nation, the No. 1 shooting guard, and the No. 2 prospect from California, per 247 Sports.

Arenas committed to USC on Jan. 30 on his father’s podcast. Arenas is a top recruit, picking the Trojans over many schools such as UCLA, Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, and Arizona. Arenas chose to stay in California and is a determined athlete always putting in the work.

"Alijah, congratulations man. You celebrate with your family, I’m gonna go celebrate with the coaches and call you in a little bit. Cannot wait to coach you, thanks for trusting us. Love it that you’re staying in Los Angeles, California," USC coach Eric Musselman said after Arenas committed to the Trojans.

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES