Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas said his son is ‘lucky’ to be alive after being trapped for 10 minutes inside a burning car last month.
On the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast, the 11-year NBA veteran said his son Alijah – a McDonald’s high school All-American who has committed to Southern California – crashed his Cybertruck into a fire hydrant and a tree due to a steering wheel malfunction.
Arenas went into detail about the frightening situation that resulted when the Tesla caught fire and Alijah was unable to escape because the doors were locked and he couldn’t break the vehicle’s bulletproof windows.
‘He’s on the phone with 9-1-1 – I’m trying to get that call – he’s on the phone with them for 10 minutes, so I know he was at least in the car for 10 minutes,’ Arenas told co-host Matt Barnes. ‘If you are a parent and your teen has this car, you might want to put a hammer in that joint, something that can break the window. Because physically, he said he was trying to kick the window in and couldn’t.’
Arenas’ son was pulled from the Cybertruck by some bystanders and taken to the hospital, where he was put into an induced coma overnight. He eventually recovered and was released from the hospital a week later.
‘When he got home we had flowers for him. And I gave him that speech. ‘You’re a lucky one to see this. Most people don’t get to see the flowers and how everyone reacts when something happens,” Arenas recalled.
Alijah Arenas, 18, is a five-star guard at Chatsworth (California) High School. He announced in January that he would commit to USC after his senior year concludes.
GIlbert Arenas played 11 seasons in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies. He was a three-time All-Star with Washington and a three-time All-NBA selection from 2005-2007.