Alijah Arenas poses at a photoshoot in New York. / Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

USC commit Alijah Arenas has been placed in a medically induced coma after being involved in a serious car accident, according to a Thursday afternoon report from Shams Charania of ESPN.

Arenas, 18, is one of the most highly touted recruits in this year’s college basketball recruiting class; he had originally been slated to graduate in the class of 2026 before reclassifying.

He turned down offers from numerous other big-name programs—Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky and Louisville—in order to play for the Trojans, giving them his commitment on Jan. 30.

Five-star prospect and USC commit Alijah Arenas was involved in a serious car crash early Thursday morning, hospitalized and placed into an induced coma, sources tell ESPN. Arenas, 18, is the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 24, 2025

In 2025, he was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game. The Oakland native–who played his high school basketball at Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles—scored 11 points in the annual showcase.

Arenas is the son of Gilbert Arenas, an accomplished former guard for Arizona and four NBA teams; Gilbert made three All-Star appearances for the Washington Wizards in the 2000s.