Alijah Arenas, son of Gilbert Arenas, commits to Southern California

Arenas will play for his father’s former NBA coach, Eric Musselman

Alijah Arenas, son of former Wizards star guard Gilbert Arenas, has committed to play college basketball next year at the University of Southern California. Arenas, a five-star recruit, reclassified up from the Class of 2026 to the Class of 2025 so that he could begin college next season and be draft eligible a year sooner (for the 2026 NBA Draft, specifically).

Arenas is the #1 shooting guard in the Class of 2025 according to 247Sports. He stands at close to 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wingspan and 8-foot-9 standing reach. He’s not the most explosive athlete in the class but moves very fluidly for his size and is incredible skilled with the ball. You can see flashes of Gilbert Arenas in his game and he projects as an elite scorer.

Arenas will play for Eric Musselman, who coached his father in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors. Last season, Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, and DJ Rodman, son of Dennis Rodman, both suited up for the Trojans but under then-coach Andy Enfield. Arenas is next in the line of NBA legacies to compete for USC.

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

Arenas is already one of my early favorites in the 2026 NBA Draft based on his high school performances. Obviously, things could change based on his college performances, but his game appears to be tailor-made for the modern NBA and is worth the Wizards keeping an eye on. Seeing him suit up for the Wizards would make for quite the story.