Stanford basketball is about to get some star power in its group of parents.
Aziz Olajuwon, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, told Rivals on Saturday that he has committed to the Cardinal over a group of finalists that included Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, and his father’s alma mater of Houston.
He also reportedly had offers from Virginia, Xavier, TCU, Virginia Tech, and others.
The 6-foot-6 Olajuwon is rated by Rivals as a four-star recruit at small forward and as the No. 62 overall player in the 2026 class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. When asked to provide his own scouting report, here’s what he told Rivals:
“I’d say my game is a mix of versatility, competitiveness, and IQ. I can shoot the ball, score, create for others, and impact the game on both ends of the floor. I have fun playing defense and rebounding, I take pride in doing whatever my team needs, whether that’s leading, defending, or making the right play.”
While Olajuwon’s name was naturally going to attract some interest, he really raised his profile this summer with strong showings on the EYBL Circuit and the NBPA Top 100 Camp, per The Athletic. He also has played internationally for his mother’s homeland of Canada, averaging 7.6 points in 14.4 minutes per game for the fifth-place finishers at the FIBA U19 World Cup.
Olajuwon is joining a Stanford program that had a solid Year 1 in the ACC under newcomer head coach Kyle Smith, going 21-14 with an 11-9 conference record. The team will be hard-pressed to replace graduated senior Maxime Reynaud, though, who earned All-ACC honors with 20.2 points and an ACC-best 10.6 rebounds per game.
