The primary time Trevor Ariza seen 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 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 at present, 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 Besides Trevor’s not the one in his outdated white, purple and black threads.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 prime 16-year-olds within the nation, and are available subsequent fall, he’ll be operating 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 purple, black and white, from the “Comets” branded bleachers and partitions to the shades of his dad’s unique No. 4 residence jersey that he’s sporting. The pale banners showcasing Trevor’s two state titles with the Comets dangle 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 preserve placing in work every single day,” Tajh says. “, my dad [had a] nice profession, however I wish to have my very own identify and present individuals like, Oh, I wish to be like him, you recognize? So I simply gotta preserve 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 12 months, he held simply three main DI provides. Within the span of 5 months final 12 months, 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 acquired to highschool, if he was severe about it, I’d give him all of the instruments that I take advantage of or the issues that I realized to assist him. So I’d say when he acquired severe—about desirous 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 severely. It was simply enjoyable for me I suppose. In fact, it’s nonetheless enjoyable,” Tajh says, “however now I see that I’ve an actual probability at what I wish to do and be nice. And I simply saved going. I simply took it.
Proper earlier than Tajh entered his freshman 12 months, Trevor laid out what it will seem like for his son to succeed in his highest potential. It ended with a mushy but refined reminder: It’s time to kick it into the subsequent gear. “I sat down with him and informed him that it’s not gonna be enjoyable. Plenty of the time, it’s not gonna be simple. 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 shrink back from issues. Fortunate for me, he needed to do it. So it was simple,” Trevor says.
Within the 12 months since, Tajh and Trevor have constructed out a devoted plan. No less than 3 times per week earlier than faculty, they both carry or grind via sand drills with Trevor’s outdated Hoop Masters teammate. Working within the mushy 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 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 need 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 12 months 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 concentrate on the work that you simply put in,” Trevor says. “Deal with the hours that you simply’re placing in, within the fitness center, within the sand, watching the sport, studying the sport, simply concentrate on that. All the things else will deal with itself.”
When he moved from North Carolina to L.A. to attend Saint Bernard HS as a sophomore, Tajh says the speak round his recreation remained comparatively quiet apart from 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 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 recognize, 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 mother or father can expertise. On the identical 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 offers his sons is commonly 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 choices out there to them.
As Tajh prepares to enter his junior season and his youthful brother, Tristan, will get set to start out faculty, too, Trevor is aware of he can’t assume the roles of coach, dad and trainer . He must be selective and conscious of the hats he wears, and when he wears them.
“If there’s per 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 happening on the court docket, as a result of I’m exhausting on them at residence,” Trevor says.
If Tajh is caring for enterprise at residence, 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.”
Massive issues like transferring to your dad’s alma mater.
As he seems to be up on the banners positioned by his dad a long time in the past, Tajh can really feel the goal on his again increasing. Academics 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 at all times been round it. So, it’s nearly like second nature,” Trevor says. “He’s been across the atmosphere since he might stroll, since he might speak. 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 house.”
Portraits by Sam Muller.
