USC freshman guard Alijah Arenas will require surgery on his knee that will keep him out of action for six to eight months, the school announced Wednesday.
The McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit is the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. The younger Arenas is a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Chatsworth High School (Los Angeles) and was expected to be a big contributor for the Trojans this season.
“Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,” USC coach Eric Musselman said. “He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process.”
Arenas, 18, was involved in a single-car accident in April after he crashed his Tesla Cybertruck into a tree in the Reseda section of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. He spent six days in the hospital following the accident and was in an induced coma but did not suffer major injuries.
In a news conference in June, Arenas said his Cybertruck’s keypad and steering wheel wouldn’t respond. Arenas said he awoke to find the passenger side of the dashboard engulfed in flames and tried to use his digital key to escape, only to find the Tesla app had locked him out.
“I tried to open the door and the door wasn’t opening,” he said.
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