The primary time Trevor Ariza observed his son was completely different was in a fourth-grade basketball recreation. 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 move. “The timing was good. It was in stride. It was only a good move,” Trevor says.
It’s a typical sunny day on the west aspect 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 at this time, he’s again on the campus the place his basketball dominance started. Besides Trevor’s not the one in his previous white, purple and black threads. His oldest son, Tajh, is.
Tajh is at the moment one of many prime 16-year-olds within the nation, and are available subsequent fall, he’ll be operating 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 college’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 unique No. 4 dwelling jersey that he’s carrying. The pale banners showcasing Trevor’s two state titles with the Comets hold 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 recreation is completely his personal.
“I gotta hold placing in work on daily basis,” Tajh says. “You realize, 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, ? 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 of top-10 within the class of 2026. After his freshman yr, he held simply three main DI affords. 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 season he was enjoying up with Crew 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 thought for him was at all times proper earlier than he acquired to highschool, if he was critical about it, I’d give him all of the instruments that I take advantage of or the issues that I discovered to assist him. So I’d say when he acquired critical—about eager to get higher or really work at basketball—was going into the ninth grade,” Trevor says.
Tajh agrees. He cherished the sport, however there’s an enormous 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 severely. It was simply enjoyable for me I suppose. 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 stored going. I simply took it.
Proper earlier than Tajh entered his freshman yr, Trevor laid out what it could appear like for his son to achieve his highest potential. It ended with a smooth but refined reminder: It’s time to kick it into the subsequent gear. “I sat down with him and advised him that it’s not gonna be enjoyable. Lots of the time, it’s not gonna be straightforward. It’s gonna take a variety of sacrifice. And most youngsters, after they hear sacrifice or take away enjoyable or free time, they form of draw back from issues. Fortunate for me, he wished to do it. So it was straightforward,” Trevor says.
Within the yr since, Tajh and Trevor have constructed out a devoted plan. A minimum of 3 times every week earlier than college, they both carry or grind via sand drills with Trevor’s previous 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 faculty, 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 together with his son.
Tajh’s dedication is persistent, a mixture 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 continuously 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 the way far his son has come since their freshman yr dialog.
“It’s straightforward, for him particularly being so younger, to get the eye that he’s getting and form of, like, be complacent and caught in that. And my message to him is at all times simply put your head down and deal with the work that you just put in,” Trevor says. “Give attention to 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 care for itself.”
When he moved from North Carolina to L.A. to attend Saint Bernard HS as a sophomore, Tajh says the discuss round his recreation 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 affords from the College of Washington and USC. He’s nonetheless acquired the response video on his cellphone. “I used to be so excited. I used to be leaping up and down, yelling. It felt good to lastly get, , what I felt like I deserved. However it 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 mum or dad 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 steering he supplies his sons is usually rooted within the steps that he took in his journey to the NBA. And identical to their video games are completely different, so are the choices and choices 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 trainer abruptly. He needs to be selective and aware 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 instances I gotta let you know to take the trash out? I gotta ease up on what’s occurring on the courtroom, as a result of I’m laborious on them at dwelling,” Trevor says.
If Tajh is taking good care of enterprise at dwelling, Trevor will drop some extra information. “However once more, it’s his canvas. So he has to color it the best way he sees it. I can solely tweak little issues or give him little nuggets till he involves me for large issues.”
Huge issues like transferring to your dad’s alma mater.
As he appears up on the banners positioned by his dad a long time in the past, Tajh can really feel the goal on his again increasing. Lecturers are already flooding him with recollections of the college’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 feel for Tajh, he’s at all times been round it. So, it’s virtually like second nature,” Trevor says. “He’s been across the setting since he might stroll, since he might 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 type of youngsters that was simply born to be on this area.”
Portraits by Sam Muller.