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Alijah Arenas crash video shows fiery wreck that led to USC commit being induced into coma

Alijah Arenas crash video shows fiery wreck that led to USC commit being induced into coma

Yahoo25-04-2025

Video from the car crash involving Alijah Arenas, the son of ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas, showed a fiery scene in the wee hours Thursday morning just outside his San Fernando Valley home.
The video, obtained by TMZ and shot by a neighbor of the Arenas family, revealed a scary scene where the Tesla of the USC men's basketball commit was engulfed in flames, while a nearby fire hydrant spewed water after the car hit it.
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Arenas was reportedly placed in an induced coma following the incident.
Basketball phenom Alijah Arenas rolled on the ground in a huge puddle of water just moments after he was ripped from a burning Tesla Cybertruck, video obtained by TMZ Sports shows. TMZ Sports/Backgrid
The outlet reported the neighbor as saying the accident occurred around 5 a.m.
Good Samaritans could be seen attempting to pull Arenas out of the car in the video before it cuts to when first responders appeared to arrive on the scene.
Alijah Arenas rolled into a puddle on the ground after the accident. TMZ Sports/Backgrid
Alijah Arenas, of Chatsworth High School in California, who has committed to USC next year, takes questions during the McDonald's All American Games Media Day, Monday, March 31, 2025 in New York. AP
The person filming the video could be heard telling a firefighter there had been one person in the car, 'but check in the car first please, just in case.'
The video published by TMZ also showed Arenas on the ground in pain after he was pulled from the crash. He was later put on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital.
Neighbors ran outside to help the high school basketball star after the wreck. TMZ Sports/Backgrid
Authorities said he was in 'stable condition' while being transported.
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Sports Illustrated high school hoops insider Tarek Fattal reported Arenas was put into an induced coma as part of the protocol for smoke inhalation.
A security video from a nearby home provided to KTLA showed the moment that the Tesla struck the tree, and witness Jose Prera described a scene having 'a lot of smoke' and fire.
Alijah Arenas seen on the court during the 48th Annual McDonald's All-American Games on April 1, 2025. Getty Images for McDonald's
Authorities have not officially confirmed the identity of the person involved in the crash.
The Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA that a 'Cybertruck crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree on the 7900 block of Corbin Avenue just before 5 a.m., after which an 18-year-old was hospitalized in stable condition.'

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Heat hopes guard Kasparas Jakucionis turns into first-round steal: ‘We see tremendous potential'
Heat hopes guard Kasparas Jakucionis turns into first-round steal: ‘We see tremendous potential'

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Heat hopes guard Kasparas Jakucionis turns into first-round steal: ‘We see tremendous potential'

The Miami Heat didn't expect Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis to still be available when it picked at No. 20 in the first round of the NBA Draft. And Jakucionis didn't expect to be available for the Heat, either. After all, ESPN's NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony ranked Jakucionis as the 10th-best prospect in the 2025 draft class. The Athletic's NBA Draft expert Sam Vecenie listed Jakucionis as the seventh-best prospect in the class. The Ringer also had Jakucionis as the seventh-best prospect in the class. So when the Heat tried to get Jakucionis to come to Kaseya Center for a predraft workout, he declined because he didn't think he would be an option for the Heat late in the first round. Instead, Heat brass was limited to a predraft meeting with him at the NBA Draft Combine in May in Chicago. 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Jakucionis, who brings size to the position at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, comes with upside after just recently turning 19 in May. He also comes with the ability to play as a lead guard but also as a secondary ball-handler. After moving from Lithuania at 15 to play basketball in Spain for three years in Barcelona, Jakucionis moved to the United States to play college basketball at Illinois. He averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44% from the field and 31.8% from three-point range as a freshman. 'What stands out is his strong ball-handling, ability to read and make plays, his toughness, his overall ability to get downhill and finish at the rim,' Simon said. Jakucionis' top skills are his playmaking and passing ability, especially in pick-and-rolls. That's a skill set that should help a Heat roster in need of creativity and playmaking on offense, and it should really help Heat big men Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware as roll men. 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Next up for Jakucionis is likely summer league basketball with the Heat in San Francisco and Las Vegas, with the team scheduled to travel to the West Coast next week to begin summer league practices. Jakucionis is still eligible to be included as part of a potential trade this offseason. However, Jakucionis won't be eligible to be traded for 30 days after signing his rookie contract, which can happen starting Tuesday. 'I'm so excited,' said Jakucionis, who is fluent in Spanish after spending a few years in Spain. 'I'm just grateful for this moment to be in this place with this opportunity to get my name called. It's special for me. That was what I was working for all my life since I was little and that was my dream. But now this is just the beginning and everything starts from new.' Jakucionis joins a young Heat core that also includes first-round picks Kel'el Ware (21 years old), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24), Nikola Jovic (22), Tyler Herro (25) and Bam Adebayo (27). 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