Alijah Arenas has been able to walk and talk after a scary car crash last week set his Tesla Cybertruck on fire and briefly left him in an induced coma, it has been reported.
Arenas, 18, broke no bones in the accident according to ESPN, though he inhaled a significant amount of smoke.
Now, Arenas’ family have told TMZ that he was able to walk on his own and speak with his parents, Laura Govan and former Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas.
However, a representative for the family stressed that Alijah ‘still has a long road to recovery.’
‘Alijah remains hospitalized under close observation, with additional testing still underway,’ a statement reads. ‘The families continue to ask for privacy and ongoing prayers during this critical time.’
The statement from Arenas’ family followed an update from Arenas’ podcast co-host, Josiah Johnson, on Monday.
Alijah is the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, and is following in his basketball footsteps
Alijah is a prestigious high school basketball player who had committed to play at USC
‘Happy to announce that Alijah is doing much better,’ Johnson said, before adding that he had spoken with Arenas and that Alijah ‘should be released from the hospital very soon.’
Johnson also said that Alijah was walking and talking and relayed that the rising basketball star had not suffered any major injuries.
The family said after the crash that some Good Samaritans had helped Alijah out of the burning car, with TMZ later reporting that responders arrived to the scene at 4:55am on Thursday.
The outlet later reported that that investigators did not see any signs of intoxication in Alijah after he was pulled from the burning car.
Investigators reportedly visited Alijah at the hospital but they did not take his blood for testing and as of Saturday, no criminal investigation was ongoing.
Police are said to believe that speed was the principal factor behind the crash, which did not involve any other vehicles.
Notably, some models of the Cybertruck can go from 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds.
The son of three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert, Alijah is a five-star basketball prospect committed to play at USC next season.
He played in the McDonald’s All-American Game – which features the top prospects in the country – earlier this month on April 1.
His father, nicknamed ‘Agent Zero,’ was a three-time All-Star for the Wizards, as he averaged 25 points per game in 357 games for the franchise.
