LOS ANGELES — Nearly three months after being involved in a terrifying car accident, USC freshman guard Alijah Arenas has suffered a knee injury that could sideline him for most, if not all, of the 2025-26 college basketball season, according to the school.
The prized recruit has reportedly torn his meniscus and is expected to be sidelined for at least six to eight months, as first reported Wednesday afternoon by veteran basketball reporter Chris Haynes.
In its press release, USC did not get into the specifics of Arenas’ knee injury, saying only that it will require surgery.
“Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,” USC head coach Eric Musselman said in a statement released by the school. “He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process.”
The 18-year-old son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas chose USC over several other top programs, including Kansas and Kentucky. He starred at Chatsworth High, where he was the 2024 Wooden High School Player of the Year. The top scorer in L.A. City Section history, he scored 3,002 points in three years of high school basketball and played for the West team in the McDonald’s All-American Game last spring.
On April 24, Arenas was placed into a medically induced coma after a Tesla Cybertruck he was driving crashed into a tree and fire hydrant and caught fire. Two people pulled him to safety, and he did not suffer any major injuries, but he was placed in a coma due to smoke he inhaled in the fire.
Arenas had recently been cleared to practice.
“I’ve been good,” Arenas said when speaking to reporters last month. “I’ve been really getting back into it, especially where I was to where I am now. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better. And then especially seeing my teammates, it’s really motivated me a lot to push forward and to keep up with the team. Getting out of the hospital, that was my main focus. I already thought about the team.”
Arenas was expected to play a key role for the Trojans next season and was the highest-ranked player to commit to the program since five-star guard Isaiah Collier in 2023. He has been projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
USC, which finished 17-18 in Musselman’s first season at the helm, will play its season opener sometime in early to mid-November.
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