The primary time Trevor Ariza seen his son was totally 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 cross. “The timing was excellent. It was in stride. It was only a excellent cross,” Trevor says.
It’s a typical sunny day on the west facet of L.A. and Trevor, Tajh and Tristan Ariza try 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 in the present day, he’s again on the campus the place his basketball dominance started. Besides Trevor’s not the one in his previous white, crimson and black threads. His oldest son, Tajh, is.
Tajh is presently one of many prime 16-year-olds within the nation, and are available subsequent fall, he’ll be working the gambit on the identical court docket 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 crimson, black and white, from the “Comets” branded bleachers and partitions to the shades of his dad’s unique 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 recreation is totally his personal.
“I gotta maintain placing in work each day,” Tajh says. “You understand, my dad [had a] nice profession, however I need to have my very own identify and present individuals like, Oh, I need to be like him, ? So I simply gotta maintain 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 provides. Within the span of 5 months final yr, he racked up 5 extra. This previous spring he acquired an invitation to USA Junior Nationwide Minicamps, and over the summer season he was taking part in up with Workforce 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 at all times proper earlier than he obtained to highschool, if he was severe about it, I’d give him all of the instruments that I exploit or the issues that I discovered to assist him. So I’d say when he obtained severe—about eager to get higher or truly work at basketball—was going into the ninth grade,” Trevor says.
Tajh agrees. He cherished 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 faculty, 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 probability 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 could seem like for his son to succeed in his highest potential. It ended with a tender 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. Plenty of the time, it’s not gonna be simple. It’s gonna take numerous sacrifice. And most children, once they hear sacrifice or take away enjoyable or free time, they form of draw back from issues. Fortunate for me, he needed to do it. So it was simple,” Trevor says.
Within the yr since, Tajh and Trevor have constructed out a devoted plan. No less than thrice every week earlier than faculty, they both carry or grind by means of sand drills with Trevor’s previous Hoop Masters teammate. Working within the tender 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 after I seen that it began serving to,” Tajh says. Off the court docket, he’s learning the methods bigger guards like Paul George and Brandon Miller create house 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 court docket for myriad of taking pictures and ballhandling drills. From the health club to the sand dunes, Trevor is true 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 continually 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 simple, 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 give attention to the work that you just put in,” Trevor says. “Concentrate on the hours that you just’re placing in, within the health club, within the sand, watching the sport, studying the sport, simply give attention to that. Every part else will handle 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 identify. That was till the start of the season when he acquired his first two provides from the College of Washington and USC. He’s nonetheless obtained 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. Nevertheless 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 satisfaction solely a guardian 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 totally 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 totally 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 faculty, too, Trevor is aware of he can’t assume the roles of coach, dad and instructor 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 inform you to take the trash out? I gotta ease up on what’s happening on the court docket, as a result of I’m onerous on them at house,” Trevor says.
If Tajh is caring for enterprise at house, Trevor will drop some extra data. “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 large issues.”
Massive issues like transferring to your dad’s alma mater.
As he seems 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 feel for Tajh, he’s at all times been round it. So, it’s nearly 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 kind of youngsters that was simply born to be on this house.”
Portraits by Sam Muller.
