The primary time Trevor Ariza observed his son was completely different was in a fourth-grade basketball sport. After breaking down a poor 8-year-old with a single transfer, Tajh Ariza drove into the paint and kicked the rock out to an open shooter with a seamless behind-the-back go. “The timing was good. It was in stride. It was only a good go,” Trevor says.
It’s a typical sunny day on the west facet of L.A. and Trevor, Tajh and Tristan Ariza are attempting to see who can hit a half-court shot first. It’s been two years for the reason that NBA champion and L.A. native retired, and immediately, he’s again on the campus the place his basketball dominance started. Besides Trevor’s not the one in his outdated white, purple and black threads. His oldest son, Tajh, is.
Tajh is at present one of many high 16-year-olds within the nation, and are available subsequent fall, he’ll be working the gambit on the identical courtroom his dad did. After ending the basketball season at St. Bernard HS, Tajh quickly after transferred to Westchester this spring.
Inside the varsity’s gymnasium, Tajh stands at halfcourt surrounded by a sea of purple, black and white, from the “Comets” branded bleachers and partitions to the shades of his dad’s authentic No. 4 house jersey that he’s sporting. The pale banners showcasing Trevor’s two state titles with the Comets grasp proudly as father and son pose for flicks. Even on this second, Trevor’s affect is ever-present. It’s surrounded Tajh since he was a child, dribbling round with Kobe and Derek Fisher. Sure, he’s the son of an NBA participant. However Tajh Ariza’s sport is completely his personal.
“I gotta hold placing in work day-after-day,” Tajh says. “You already know, my dad [had a] nice profession, however I need to have my very own title and present individuals like, Oh, I need to be like him, you already know? So I simply gotta hold working so I can get there.”
The 6-8 rising junior exploded on the recruiting circuit and is now thought-about top-10 within the class of 2026. After his freshman yr, he held simply three main DI provides. Within the span of 5 months final yr, he racked up 5 extra. This previous spring he obtained an invitation to USA Junior Nationwide Minicamps, and over the summer time he was taking part in up with Group Why Not 17U on the EYBL circuit. Issues are simply clickin’.
However the path wasn’t so simply laid out. Trevor let Tajh discover his personal love for the sport. He didn’t push, he didn’t nudge; he sat again and watched his son uncover their now shared ardour.
“My concept for him was all the time proper earlier than he acquired to highschool, if he was critical about it, I’d give him all of the instruments that I exploit or the issues that I realized to assist him. So I’d say when he acquired critical—about eager to get higher or truly work at basketball—was going into the ninth grade,” Trevor says.
Tajh agrees. He beloved the sport, however there’s an unlimited distinction between loving to play and loving one thing sufficient to commit your self to five a.m. exercises, two-a-days and a grueling 82-game season.
“I needed to change my habits. Earlier than possibly center college, I didn’t actually take it as critically. It was simply enjoyable for me I assume. After all, it’s nonetheless enjoyable,” Tajh says, “however now I see that I’ve an actual likelihood at what I need to do and be nice. And I simply saved going. I simply took it.
Proper earlier than Tajh entered his freshman yr, Trevor laid out what it might seem like for his son to succeed in his highest potential. It ended with a smooth but delicate reminder: It’s time to kick it into the subsequent gear. “I sat down with him and instructed him that it’s not gonna be enjoyable. A variety of the time, it’s not gonna be simple. It’s gonna take a whole lot of sacrifice. And most children, after they hear sacrifice or take away enjoyable or free time, they type of draw back from issues. Fortunate for me, he wished to do it. So it was simple,” Trevor says.
Within the yr since, Tajh and Trevor have constructed out a devoted plan. Not less than thrice every week earlier than college, they both carry or grind by way of sand drills with Trevor’s outdated Hoop Masters teammate. Working within the smooth sand of L.A.’s seashores is taxing, exhausting, unnerving—all of the above. However his explosiveness has taken off. “I began dunking on individuals, in order that’s once I observed that it began serving to,” Tajh says. Off the courtroom, he’s finding out the methods bigger guards like Paul George and Brandon Miller create area off the bounce.
After a bathe, breakfast and college, Tajh will hit whichever program they didn’t do within the morning earlier than heading to the courtroom for myriad of capturing and ballhandling drills. From the fitness center to the sand dunes, Trevor is correct there along with his son.
Tajh’s dedication is persistent, a mix of witnessing the skilled traits of his dad’s profession and the desire to carve out his personal legacy. Getting up at 5:30 a.m. to run in consistently shifting sand is as a lot of a psychological exercise as it’s a bodily one. Whereas Tajh embraces the outcomes of his work, Trevor views it as a mile marker for a way far his son has come since their freshman yr dialog.
“It’s simple, for him particularly being so younger, to get the eye that he’s getting and type of, like, be complacent and caught in that. And my message to him is all the time simply put your head down and deal with the work that you just put in,” Trevor says. “Deal with the hours that you just’re placing in, within the fitness center, within the sand, watching the sport, studying the sport, simply deal with that. The whole lot else will maintain itself.”
When he moved from North Carolina to L.A. to attend Saint Bernard HS as a sophomore, Tajh says the discuss round his sport remained comparatively quiet other than the attract of his final title. That was till the start of the season when he obtained his first two provides from the College of Washington and USC. He’s nonetheless acquired the response video on his telephone. “I used to be so excited. I used to be leaping up and down, yelling. It felt good to lastly get, you already know, what I felt like I deserved. But it surely additionally simply motivated me to maintain going. [To] simply carry on stacking on that,” Tajh says.
Witnessing that pleasure in his personal kin is a delight solely a father or mother can expertise. On the similar time, Trevor has come to curtail his recommendation even after an 18-year profession within the L that featured a 2009 championship with the Lakers and stops with 10 completely different organizations. The steerage he supplies his sons is usually rooted within the steps that he took in his journey to the NBA. And similar to their video games are completely different, so are the choices and selections accessible to them.
As Tajh prepares to enter his junior season and his youthful brother, Tristan, will get set to begin college, too, Trevor is aware of he can’t assume the roles of coach, dad and instructor unexpectedly. He must be selective and conscious of the hats he wears, and when he wears them.
“If there’s every week the place I’m heavy on, like, Clear up your room or Take the trash out. What number of occasions I gotta inform you to take the trash out? I gotta ease up on what’s occurring on the courtroom, as a result of I’m arduous on them at house,” Trevor says.
If Tajh is caring for enterprise at house, Trevor will drop some extra information. “However once more, it’s his canvas. So he has to color it the way in which he sees it. I can solely tweak little issues or give him little nuggets till he involves me for giant issues.”
Huge issues like transferring to your dad’s alma mater.
As he appears up on the banners positioned by his dad many years in the past, Tajh can really feel the goal on his again increasing. Lecturers are already flooding him with recollections of the varsity’s previous legendary battles with crosstown rival Fairfax. However the noise is simply that: noise. And as his dad walks down the halls that he as soon as occupied, he is aware of Tajh is able to absolutely stroll into his personal.
“I believe for Tajh, he’s all the time been round it. So, it’s virtually like second nature,” Trevor says. “He’s been across the setting since he may stroll, since he may discuss. It’s tailor-made for him. Some youngsters are born to do sure issues. And to me, in my eyes, I really feel like he’s a kind of youngsters that was simply born to be on this area.”
Portraits by Sam Muller.