Gilbert Arenas knows better than to test the waters! The retired NBA player has always fondly spoken about the potential of joining the roster of NBA dads. His high school-going son, Alijah, is skilled and even taller than him now. But is he better than him on the court? Both made very different claims, almost like two sides of the same coin, until one truth revealed by Alijah connected all the dots. Quite surprisingly, Alijah’s father has cracked the code to the glitch in the matrix.

Well, now comparisons between Agent Zero and his son were undeniably going to arise soon, and they did when TMZ asked who is the most dominant player among the two. The 3x NBA All-Star confidently let his son answer the question as he boasted of having no record of losses against him. “You gonna answer that? He ain’t got a win yet,” Arenas said as he looked at his son. 

Meanwhile, Alijah, who is ranked No. 4 in the 2026 class by ESPN, claimed to be able to beat his dad in a one-on-one matchup. Why hasn’t he done it yet? The former Washington Wizards star is right in saying he hasn’t lost to his son, but that’s only because he keeps avoiding him, as claimed by Alijah. “He be ducking. He ain’t gon’ beat me now, but he had it back then,” Alijah said. 

Agent Zero didn’t conceal his thoughts anymore. As soon as he realized his son was getting more skilled and could defeat him in a one-on-one matchup, he stopped competing against him. So, how do you defeat your opponent without a battle?

It probably came sooner than Arenas Sr. expected. And he must have seen it coming when Alijah broke his high school record. 

Alijah Arenas is working to be better than his father, Gilbert Arenas 

As per the records from the Los Angeles Times, Agent Zero was the top prospect in LA with a high school record of 50 points. More than two decades later, his eldest son has stepped onto the court to break that record, scoring an impressive 53 points— surpassing his father. With 23 points early in the first half, he led Chatsworth High School to a regional semifinal victory over Washington Prep. 

It’s no wonder Agent Zero stopped competing against the 6-foot-4 guard. Averaging 30.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in his freshman year, the five-star shooting guard boasts offers from Texas, Arizona, UCLA, Kansas, and Alabama. He averaged 33.0 points during his sophomore season. Arenas’ son is becoming the shining star of his high school, just as Agent Zero had hoped while choosing the right high school for Alijah.

Unlike most parents who push their kids toward private schools, Agent Zero wanted his son to attend a public school. He believed many players who went to private schools became role players, while many star players were from public schools. “He has to hit game-winners — he has to miss game-winners. He has to make the game-winning assist, game-winning turnover. He feels all of these emotions during the time he has to learn how,” the former Golden State Warriors star said.

He felt it would be better for Alijah to play in an environment where there weren’t too many superstars around, allowing him to focus on 1v1 basketball. It certainly paid off, and we doubt Agent Zero regrets his decision.