Stanford is adding a top-40 men’s basketball recruit with a famous last name that’s already enshrined in Springfield.
Aziz Olajuwon, Hall of Famer Hakeem’s son, has confirmed his decision to join the Cardinal beginning in the 2026-27 season.
‘I chose Stanford because the coaching staff made it clear they are about me not just as an athlete, but as a person,’ the younger Olajuwon told ESPN. ‘That meant a lot in the process.’
The 6-foot-7 small forward is considered a rising talent after shining on the JL3 grassroots program over the spring and summer. He also showed an improving perimeter shot, hitting nearly 42 percent of his 3-point attempts at the Nike Peach Jam in July.
Aziz’s commitment to Stanford marks the first major recruiting victory for new Cardinal coach Kyle Smith.
‘Coach Smith and really the whole staff are people who really invest in their players, on and off the court,’ Aziz said. ‘Their passion, leadership and ability to connect with the teams made a huge impression on me.
Born in Canada to a Canadian mother, Aziz played for the country at the FIBA U19 World Cup
The most recognizable player in Houston Rockets history, Hakeem Olajuwon, is seen at the 2025 NBA Draft lottery. These days he mentors young players at his ranch outside Houston
‘The visit felt like a real day in the life, not just a tour. I got to experience the campus, the people and the culture in an authentic way, and it just felt right.’
Currently a star at the famed IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Aziz was born in Canada before growing up primarily in Jordan and London. But although the family would later return to the Houston area, where Hakeem famously played college and pro ball, Aziz opted to play for Team Canada at this year’s FIBA U19 World Cup – a natural choice given it’s his mother’s native country.
‘My mom was really excited for me just to represent the country on the world stage,’ Aziz said during a July interview published by FIBA. ‘It’s an honor.’
Aziz obviously doesn’t have his father’s 7-foot frame, but may have inherited Hakeem’s intensity on the defensive end of the floor.
‘When I first went into high school, I was an ‘okay’ defender,’ Aziz told FIBA. ‘And he was always pushing defense and telling me at the collegiate level, you have to play defense. So I bought in and took pride in defense and enjoyed playing defense.
‘He’s always talking to me about my game – where I can do better, where I do well, and playing to my strength. He’s always criticizing me, which I’m really grateful for. And I’m blessed to have a father like that.’
Aziz Olajuwon goes up for a shot against player of Australia during the FIBA U19 World Cup
Houston’s Twin Towers, Ralph Sampson (left) and Hakeem Olajuwon, are seen in 1985
Hakeem famously left his native Nigeria – and his first love of soccer – to pursue basketball at the University of Houston, where he went from a redshirt to a reserve center to a national phenomenon for the Cougars.
He would ultimately be picked first overall in the 1984 NBA Draft by the hometown Rockets two spots before the Chicago Bulls would take Michael Jordan.
Alongside former Virginia center Ralph Sampson, Hakeem quickly became one of the best two-way players in the NBA as the Rockets stunned the Showtime-era Los Angeles Lakes en route to the 1986 NBA Finals, where they fell to the Boston Celtics.
A retooled Rockets team built entirely around Hakeem would later win two NBA titles in 1994 and 1995 as Jordan left the Bulls to play a season of minor league baseball.
Olajuwon would later finish his career in Toronto in 2002 before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.
Since then, Olajuwon has worked individually with some of the game’s best young centers, including current San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama.
