Nearly two decades ago, Trevor Ariza was drafted by the New York Knicks.
Ariza went on to have an 18-year NBA career in which he played for the Knicks, Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Magic, Hornets, Kings, Heat, Suns and Trail Blazers.
Now, though, Ariza gets to switch into proud father mode.
His son, Tajh Ariza, is about to make his college basketball debut for the Oregon Ducks.
Tajh Ariza at Oregon
Monday night will be a special one for the Ariza family.
Tajh and the Ducks are slated to play their 2026-27 season opener. They’ll be at home in Eugene hosting the Montana Grizzlies.
There’s an expectation that Tajh can be an early impact player, although his preseason wasn’t quite as smooth as many would’ve hoped. But in some early-season one-sided matchups against Montana, Eastern Washington and Mississippi Valley, Tajh should be able to find his footing before some bigger games come along.
Is Tajh Ariza Good?
Ariza comes to Oregon with tons of hype.
He was ranked a five-star prospect by 247 Sports, checking in on their site as the No. 32 player in his class.
Tajh Ariza had enough hype in high school that he left the Los Angeles area to play his senior season at the powerhouse prep school in Missouri, Link Academy.
He had previously played at Westchester High School in California and won an L.A. City Section title as a junior.
That junior season featured huge numbers for Tajh — he was named a MaxPreps Junior All-American after averaging 27 points and 14 rebounds per game.
He has also twice participated at Nike Hoops Summit, and he was also part of the Jordan Brand Classic and the Iverson Classic in 2026.
Listed at 6-foot-9 and 210 pounds by Oregon, Tajh Ariza might already be bigger than his father was, which can allow him to make an immediate impact even in a college basketball world where players are returning to school and transferring and seeming to average an older age every season.
It was definitely a recruiting win for Oregon to get Tajh Ariza, as he’s the type of player most teams in the country would’ve been interested in — especially when considering the NBA genes he has.
His father, Trevor, was the No. 19 recruit in his class in 2003 and went to UCLA. Trevor was eventually the No. 43 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Knicks.
It’ll be hard for Tajh to match an 18-year NBA career, but that journey starts in some ways on Monday night when he takes to a college basketball court for regular season action for the first time.
Trevor Ariza’s Son Tajh Reaches Special College Basketball Moment