“A dad that played professional sports, you got a target on your back” — easing Trevor Ariza’s concern comes the latest update for his son, Tajh. Not only has the 16-year-old been making waves with his athleticism and EYBL gameplay but it seems he is already attracting major brands. The most recent and major one of these is late rapper Nipsey Hussle’s The Marathon Clothing.

Appearing on The Youngins Podcast, Tajh opened up about what this partnership means to him. In his words, “That’s like, LA-based brand. So it’s pretty big for me… I grew up in LA and all that. Me and my mom… We always just listen to Nipsey… She was a marathon runner… So it’s just like. Like full circle. Kind of like me listening to Nip when I was younger.”

Now, if you’ve followed the LA basketball scenario, you know it’s a breeding ground for talent. Trevor Ariza’s son recognizes this and wears it like a badge of honor. Reflecting on his role in representing the city, he shared, “It’s big… My dad went there… For me, I just wanted to, like, put the city on. So just wear that on my back… Bring the city with me.” And boy has he been doing things impressively.

The 16-year-old was recently named on the Naismith Boys’ High School Player of the Year watchlist. Alongside big names like Kiyan Anthony. At 6’7″, with standout performances at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam—where he averaged 13.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists—he proved to be a force on the court. It’s no surprise that a brand as culturally significant as The Marathon Clothing chose him for this collaboration. This is also TMC’s first major talent partnership in the NIL space.

And what makes this deal even cooler is that Tajh had creative input. He shared that the brand designed a shirt reflecting his Asian roots, explaining, “It’s red. And it has my like the hero and kanji and the Japanese writing here.” He even pitched the idea for a cartoon bobblehead-style design. “They sent me over a couple, of like the images that they were gonna put on there… I was like… ‘I wanna go with the cartoon… Bobblehead type of thing. So that’s what we did.”

And let’s not forget the personal touch from The Marathon team. Tajh had nothing but praise for Blacc Sam, Nipsey Hussle’s older brother, even recalling him serving burgers at one particular instance. This collab clearly is a foreshadowing of great things that await Tajh.

Trevor Ariza’s son is looking at some interesting college offers already

Tajh is already turning heads in the basketball world with some exciting college offers on the table. At just 16, he is ranked seventh on ESPN’s top 60 players from the 2026 talent class. And if that doesn’t already impress you, consider this–like Kiyan Anthony, who drew 20 college offers early on, Tajh has secured 11 offers, according to 247 Sports.

When you look at the schools chasing him, the list reads like a who’s who of college basketball–USC, UCLA, Arizona, Kansas, UNLV, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Kansas State. Right now, USC seems to have the edge, with a reported 17.4% chance of landing him. Meanwhile, UCLA isn’t far behind at 15.2%. UNLV and Arizona State are also in the mix. But let’s not forget—Tajh is still a high school junior, so he has plenty of time to decide.

And it’s not just his game that’s drawing attention. Trevor Ariza’s son already boasts an NIL valuation of $209,000, according to On3. No wonder he is attracting major brand collaborations like The Marathon Clothing.