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Gilbert Arenas Breaks Silence On Son Alijah's Major Injury

Former NBA All-Star and Memphis Grizzlies point guard Gilbert Arenas broke his silence on his son Alijah's major knee injury
Will Despart|
Apr 1, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; McDonald's All American West guard Alijah Arenas (16) dribbles the ball during the first half of the game McDonald's All American East at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images
Apr 1, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; McDonald's All American West guard Alijah Arenas (16) dribbles the ball during the first half of the game McDonald's All American East at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images | Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

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USC TrojansMemphis Grizzlies

USC commit and top recruit Alijah Arenas, son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert, suffered an unfortunate setback ahead of his freshman season with the Trojans. Arenas is due to miss the next 6-8 months with a knee that will require the 18-year-old to undergo surgery.

Arenas broke his silence on the injury on the latest episode of "Gil's Arena", breaking down how it happened before giving his son a stern message about the risks of going too hard without allowing his body to properly recover.

"The boy, he just does too much," Arenas said. "He was fine one day, and then he was hurt the next. He was doing bleacher work and he said he was running the bleachers, trying to get in shape for an hour, and he must've irritated on the bleachers.

"These four, five, six months, he should learn how to sit down, rest, and listen to his body. Understand that as much training as you do, you've gotta recover. He realized he got that part of the gene that just wants to work, and he has to understand, you can't work out four, five times a day," he added.

Arenas recently returned to on-court activities after an April car crash briefly forced doctors to place him into an induced coma due to smoke inhalation.

The five-star recruit suffered no significant injuries in the accident otherwise and was tracking to debut with USC this season before the setback with his knee.

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Will Despart
WILL DESPART

Will Despart is a Las Vegas-based sportswriter who covers the NBA for OnSI. He also writes for Ballislife and handles multiple beats for The Sporting Tribune, including the Las Vegas Aces and Las Vegas Raiders. His reporting has been featured in newspapers across the country through the Field Level Media news wire.

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