A short-lived career, yes, but Gilbert Arenas made quite a name for himself in that duration. And it seems this characteristic as a player started early on from his high school days. One such not-so-major instance involves Arenas saving a traveling team’s Nike contract he was once a part of. Appearing on the Above the Rim podcast, Agent Zero revealed he played for the traveling team after his junior year in the school.

Sponsored by Nike, not many players on the team knew about Gil, except for their guard, EJ Harris. Cut to the team playing in Las Vegas, getting butchered by the opponents. Arenas recalled a guy named Marvin Stone losing his mind over the possibility of losing Nike sponsorship. “If I don’t win this, I’m losing my Nike contract. You motherf*kers…” Arenas recalled the tension during the game.

This was the moment that the only guy who knew Gilbert Arenas, Harris, offered to be replaced by Agent Zero. The move came in the second half with Harris telling Gil to not even pass the ball to other players. “50 at the half dog,” Arenas proudly revealed on the podcast. Little did he know that this particular game was going to benefit him in both the short and long run.

As for the immediate benefits, Arenas got a single room to himself, which he once shared with 6 teammates. In the longer run, the game got him into the Jordan camp.

And in turn, a particular incident at the camp made Michael Jordan himself call Arizona Wildcats head coach Lute Olson to let him know that his upcoming freshman deserved a spot in the starting five. However, his son has gone one step further.

Gilbert Arenas’ 17 YO son has already surpassed his high school record

The former Washington Wizards star’s eldest son, Alijah Arenas, has emerged as a promising prospect from the Class of 2026. In his two seasons with his Chatsworth High School basketball team so far, he has averaged 31.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. His defensive skills also have been impressive with 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game.

However, the most media attention that he gained was during the time he dropped 53 points in a game this year itself. Yes, the 17-year-old broke his father’s high school record during his matchup against Washington Prep. Also adding 11 rebounds for his team, Alijah led Chatsworth to a 74-69 regional semifinal win.

No wonder that Alijah has already attracted the interest of multiple universities, including his father’s alma mater, Arizona. However, his mother Laura Govan told TMZ Sports that the 17-year-old will not necessarily exactly follow his father’s path. “This isn’t the Gilbert Arenas story, this is the Alijah Arenas story,” she said. But the 53-point by Alijah indicates his story may as well not be so different from Gilbert Arenas, except for the hopeful career longevity.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.