Ranked 4th best recruit in the class of 2026 by 247Sports, Alijah Arenas has been quite impressive. The most recent instance of this has been his team-up with star small forward, Klay Thompson. While the focus pressed on the 17-year-old’s performance, one couldn’t miss that Klay Thompson‘s move to the Dallas Mavericks seems to no longer bear hints of sorrow.

“I’m happy he left… because he wasn’t happy here [GSW] anymore,” Draymond Green had stated on the Club 520 podcast and well, he’d only be elated to watch his former teammate now as he indulges in an intense practice session with Alijah Arenas.

In the game highlights posted by Swish Cultures, Gilbert Arenas’ son was seen teaming up with the former Warriors star. After a not-so-impressive final season with his franchise of over a decade, Thompson seemed staunch in his element. But it was Alijah who took the limelight with some lay-ups, 3-point shots, and fade aways to wrap. “Klay Thompson and Alijah Arenas were cooking up at @ZGonzales93 & @bucketsworth runs… Alijah Arenas is only a junior in high school,” read the caption to the post.

Standing 6’5″ tall, Alijah Arenas has emerged as a prolific scorer, just like his father. As per MaxPreps, he has averaged 33 points, and 8.6 rebounds per game so far in his high school basketball. Apart from this, he has already achieved a remarkable milestone in high school basketball history by scoring 1000 career points.

The 17-year-old is still in his sophomore year and has already claimed some records of his name. Setting the record for most points in a Division IV final with his 44 points in the CIF state basketball final was one of them. Meanwhile, he also beat Gilbert Arenas’ high-school record of 50 points by putting up 53 points against Washington Prep in March this year.

Alijah’s performance and achievements so far have earned him No. 4 overall spot on the 247Sports 2026 Composite, as a 5-star prospect. As per the website, the 17-year-old has so far attracted offers from 17 universities. But why is that despite being such exceptional talent and Gil’s son, Alijah plays in a mid tier school?

“Never gets to play one-on-one basketball”: Gilbert Arenas on why he chose a public school for his son’s basketball growth

Despite having Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth — a school that has groomed the children of NBA stars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Scottie Pippen, Arenas chose Chatsworth High School for Alijah despite a perceived difference in prestige. Appearing on an episode of Gil’s Arenas, the former Washington Wizards star once explained the reasoning behind his decision.

He stated, as per his observation, most players who went to prestigious institutions had to content themselves with the status of being a role player rather than a star. “They had the best team, all the guys are five-star, just beating on people. Which means none of them are ever really being tested, none of them are going 100% all game,” he said.

He further mentioned that looking at high school history of players like Zion Williamson, he found they were mostly solo on their teams. “Put them over there and the other kids are smaller, but he’s being double- and triple-teamed. He never gets to play one-on-one basketball,” Arenas added.

Gilbert Arenas believes that in such circumstances, Alijah will have to play harder throughout the game, which will only boost his skill set. And watching the 17-year-old’s performance so far, the move seems to working in Alijah’s favor.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.