"Mopping his a**"- Gilbert Arenas says 17-year-old son Alijah Arenas made $42M player leave pick-up game ft. Kevin Durant
Gilbert Arenas’ son, Alijah Arenas, is considered by scouts to be one of the best scorers in high school basketball. The 17-year-old Chatsworth High School junior is ranked by ESPN, 247Sports and other scouting sites as their best shooting guard in the 2026 class. He sometimes works out with NBA talents to hone his game.
In an episode of the "No Chill Gil" podcast released on Tuesday, Gilbert Arenas shared a story about his son going up against another NBA player:
“I’m watching a video, this was when he went to go with KD, and he said, ‘Man, there was a dude in a blue shirt. Oh my God, I was mopping his a**. I don’t even know why he was out there.’ I’m like, ‘You score a couple of bucket?’ He said, ‘No. Every time he guarded me, I gave his a** the work. He was made and he end up leaving.’
“I looked at the video, it was Naz Reid. I was like, ‘Wait a minute. He’s a defensive player!’”
The former Washington Wizards star referred to a viral clip of his son, Alijah Arenas, training with Kevin Durant, Moses Moody and Naz Reid. The highlights showed the younger Arenas scoring multiple times against the NBA players.
In the video, the training simulated situations with the shot clock winding down. Arenas had to get off a shot to avoid a violation. Based on the clip, he impressed against Durant, Moody and Reid, who signed a three-year $42 million extension with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2023.
Gilbert Arenas announced his son, Alijah Arenas, would classify to the 2025 class
Gilbert Arenas’ son, Alijah Arenas, is a top-five recruit for the 2026 class. During the NBA Watch Party stream on Monday night, the former Golden State Warriors guard announced a change of plans. He had this to say about the Chatsworth star:
"We're reclassing up right now. I think they just approved it today. This is his senior year now."
In his podcast, Agent Zero explained why they decided to reclassify:
“Reclass, go to college, get stronger and then if you’re good enough to get to the NBA or if there’s talk, you can go. If not, you can stay one more year in college which would technically be your freshman year. There’s no point in playing high school basketball if you’re not learning anything.”
Gilbert Arenas has overseen his son’s basketball career. Many are excited to see what the future holds for Alijah Arenas following their decision to reclassify.