Gilbert Arenas on why he sent his son Alijah to public school: ‘He can’t take plays off’

Nestled on the western edge of Los Angeles County sits the neighborhood of Chatsworth. In the sports world, this area is perhaps best known for being home to Sierra Canyon School, whose basketball program has rostered the children of NBA players, including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Scottie Pippen.

About two miles away is Chatsworth High School, with a boys basketball team that this season had a record better than .500 for just the third time in the last 10 seasons.

Despite the massive difference in prestige, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas chose the latter as the school for his son, five-star sophomore Alijah Arenas.
Arenas spoke about this decision on a recent episode of his Gil’s Arena podcast. After reviewing the league, he said that most players who went to prestigious institutions ended up being role players instead of stars.

“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,” Arenas said. “I started looking at, where did Zion (Williamson) play high school? Where did John Wall? … [I] realized in their high school team, they were solo. 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.”

In being the center of a defense’s attention, Arenas rationalized, Alijah would have to play hard the entire game and wouldn’t be able to coast — “which means he’s turning into something else,” Arenas said.

“He has to individually try to do everything to keep his team involved. He can’t take plays off.”

Alijah Arenas was dominant this season, breaking his dad’s scoring record in high school and leading Chatsworth to a championship appearance. According to MaxPreps, Arenas averaged 33 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists on the 20-15 team.

“He has to hit game-winers — he has to miss game-winners. He has to make the game-winning assist, game-winning turnover,” Gilbert said. “He feels all of these emotions during the time he has to learn how.”

Based on his output, the idea is working. Recruiters are noticing his talent on the basketball court, as he has 16 offers and is ranked the No. 3 player in the class of 2026 on the 247Sports Composite.

How does the idea hold up when looking at NBA stars? Given how much the youth basketball landscape has shifted over the last decade, let’s take a look at some of the best players who graduated from U.S. high schools since 2010.

• Devin Booker: Moss Point High School

• Jalen Brunson: Stevenson High School

• Jimmy Butler: Tomball High School

• Anthony Davis: Prospectives Charter

• Joel Embiid: Montverde Academy

• De’Aaron Fox: Cypress Lakes High School

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Hamilton Heights Christian Academy

• Donovan Mitchell: Brewster Academy

• Ja Morant: Crestwood High School

• Jayson Tatum: Chaminade College Preparatory School

• Trae Young: Norman North

How about focusing it on the up-and-coming potential stars who have been draft since 2020:

• LaMelo Ball: Chino Hills

• Paolo Banchero: O’Dea High School

• Scottie Barnes: Montverde Academy

• Cade Cunningham: Montverde Academy

• Anthony Edwards: Holy Spirit Preparatory

• Jalen Green: Prolific Prep

• Tyrese Haliburton: Oshkosh North

• Chet Holmgren: Minnehaha Academy

• Jonathan Kuminga: The Patrick School

• Tyrese Maxey: South Garland

• Evan Mobley: Rancho Christian

• Jalen Williams: Perry High School

There’s a wide variety of schools listed. There’s more to the puzzle than simply listing out a couple dozen of the top players, including sheer number of players at non-basketball-academies and the rate of making it to the NBA — regardless of role player or star level — but Arenas clearly took the time to puzzle it out and make the decision he and the family thought best. Alijah is still just a sophomore, but it appears it’s working.

Story originally appeared on High School Sports