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This is the generation of NBA players’ sons. It seems like everywhere you look, a former player’s kid is rising up in the ranks, carving a path of their own. For some, that process came quickly like in the case of LeBron James and Bronny James. For others, like Alijah Arenas, the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, that path is still being paved. And it was on full display during the 2024 Flight Club Invitational.
Alijah is about to begin his junior year at Chatsworth High School in the San Fernando Valley. He’s already considered the No. 4 prospect nationally in the class of 2026 for ESPN’s high school player rankings. He was one of the top players to show out at the 2024 Flight Club Invitational a couple of weeks ago.
He has offers from some of the best Division 1 college basketball programs in the country. A consensus five-star recruit, he actually wasn’t drawn to basketball until late in his childhood. Seeing his dad play and being around that type of atmosphere, he gradually began to take an interest in the hardwood.
“I started late, when I was young I never liked basketball. I was a soccer kid,” Alijah told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “But then kind of just seeing what my dad was, I gave it a try. Ever since then I just took off and loved it.”
Alijah Arenas is not the only one of Gilbert Arenas' children who took to basketball. Alijah's older sister Izela is an incoming freshman on a basketball scholarship at Louisville. His younger sister Hamiley is a freshman to watch at Notre Dame High School in nearby Sherman Oaks, and the youngest child, Aloni, is in middle school and already making waves on social media.
Ever since Alijah got into basketball, it’s been both his dad and his mom who have been his support. The NBA world knows who Gilbert Arenas is; a multiple-time All-Star who helped lead the Washington Wizards to national prominence. But Alijah’s mother, Laura Govan, was a star high school basketball player herself who went on to play college basketball at New Mexico State.
As he pursues his own basketball aspirations, for college and beyond, they’ve been behind him every step of the way.
“They’re a big part of my life, him and my mom. They’re both basketball players so they’ve always just helped me, especially during games I always give them a little look,” Alijah said. “They’ll always help me, they’re always supportive. They’re always pushing me to be better than what I am right now.
Alijah Arenas’ college recruitment
As his stock has risen, so has his number of Division 1 college basketball offers. Alijah Arenas is being recruited by several power conference schools including Gilbert Arenas’ alma mater Arizona, Alabama, Arizona State, Cal, Fresno State, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ole Miss, Texas, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia and Xavier.
As a junior, he is in no rush to make a college decision. But given his background, he has the type of school in mind for when he does make his choice; a program that will ultimately get him to the NBA.
“Kind of like the best development for my progression to get into college and really develop to get to the league,” Alijah said. “Kind of like the best preparation for the next step.”
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Alijah is a talented combo guard who would make any college program instantly better. He has a very good feel for the game and is comfortable with the ball in his hands. As a scorer, he has an arsenal of offensive moves with the ability to hit tough midrange shots as well as get to the basket consistently.
As a playmaker, he reads the game well. He can draw the defense and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. But if you ask him, he feels like he can still get better in every aspect of his game. It’s all about fine-tuning things as Alijah Arenas continues his journey to the NBA.
“Really I can always improve on everything. Even if I feel like I’m 100 percent in this or 100 percent in that, I feel like there’s more that I could do,” Alijah said. “I feel like everything is just slowly developing as I get to the league.”
There is one particular aspect that Alijah is looking to develop more and that is his leadership. Now as a junior, he’s going to be looked on as one of the leaders of his high school team at Chatsworth. That role will become even more important next season as a senior.
It’s a bit of a natural progression though considering that as the primary ball-handler, he’s pretty much an extension of his coach on the court.
“Very good communication. I feel like communicating with your team, talking to your team on and off the court is very helpful to kind of helping yourself too,” Alijah said. “You’re not only helping your team, you’re also helping yourself. I feel like that goes both ways and then that will really take me a long way.”
Alijah Arenas shows out at Flight Club Invitational
The high school basketball regular season doesn’t begin until November in California. But in the meantime, there are various showcases and events that serve as kind of like a tune-up. One of those events is the Flight Club Invitational.
This year was only the second time the event has been held. A joint partnership between Crossroads High School and the shoe consignment store Flight Club, the event served as a showcase for some of the top high school basketball players in Southern California. In addition to Alijah, several Division 1 commits took part in the showcase including Rutgers commit Lino Mark, St. Joe’s commit Owen Verna and West Virginia commit Kelvin Odih.
Alijah and Chatsworth participated in Flight Club last October during its inaugural year. Getting to see and compete against other talented players is something that he looks forward to.
“I love it, I love the event here. It’s always exciting to be at, it’s always exciting to come to every single year,” Alijah said. “Especially watching these players that come to play, it’s always amazing.”
With Chatsworth now getting ready for their 2024-25 season opener against Verdugo Hills on Nov. 15 in a non-league game, Alijah has set forth goals for himself that focus on becoming the best basketball player he can be.
“Just to really progress and kind of improve on what I did last year,” Alijah said. “So just a very big improvement on scoring, being a leader, passing, defense, just develop my all-around game.”
