We caught up with Govan at LAX to talk all about her talented kid ... and she couldn't say enough good things about the Class of 2026 guard -- both on and off the court.

In reality, she says no amount of basketball highlights compare to the kind of person Alijah is ... and she doesn't shy away from patting herself on the back for doing a great job raising him.

"He's a great kid," she said. "He's a scholar athlete. He's sweet. I've seen him tell me to stop in the middle of the street, take off his shoes, and give them to a homeless person. That's just who he is in his heart."

"The conclusion is wherever is best suited and fit for him," she said. "This isn't the Gilbert Arenas story, this is the Alijah Areans story. It's his turn to pave his way, do his own thing, and have it how he wants to have it."

But soon enough, Alijah will be heading to college ... and when we asked about his potential landing spots, Laura explained his thought process -- and following his dad to Arizona isn't a sure thing.

Alijah has plenty of suitors. In addition to Arizona, he has offers from Alabama, Arizona State, UCLA, and Kansas ... just to name a few.

It's pretty clear why the 6'4'' shooting guard is on many teams' radars. Throughout the 2023-24 high school season ... the star guard averaged 33 points per game -- shooting nearly 50% from the field!!

When asked if he could beat his father in a one-on-one ... Laura wasted no time answering -- saying, "Hell yeah, you kidding me? F*** outta here."

LG made sure to give a shoutout to NBA greats Chris Paul and Jason Kidd ... saying those two helped raise him.