By SAM LANCE
KANSAS CITY, KS — Class of 2026 four-star forward Abdul-Aziz Olajuwon is the son of NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, and he could be following in his footsteps if his game continues to expand.
Olajuwon — the 6-foot-7, 205-pound forward out of Clements (TX) — is a much different player than his father. He relies on his outside shooting to get buckets. One thing that’s similar, though? All out effort on the defensive end.
“I know I can shoot it,” Olajuwon told ZAGSBLOG. “I can shoot off the dribble. I can dribble. I can pass. I can create for my teammates. But defense is first for me. Rebounding, hustle plays. Do anything and share that energy with my teammates.”
So far this EYBL season with JL3 Elite, Olajuwon has been a steady contributor, averaging 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals. The forward has shot 51.9% from the field including a 27-of-60 (45%) clip from 3-point range. He’s had three games with 20+ points including his latest game in a JL3 uniform, where he scored 25 points with five rebounds, three assists and a steal against Boo Williams.
This summer, Olajuwon wants to show coaches his defensive intensity.
“That’s what I bring every time,” Olajuwon said. “And that’s a decision you have to make. It’s not like here and there. You always have to bring intensity, defense, rebounding. That’s a choice. Sometimes your shot can be off, but your defense should never be off. I want them to see that I bring that every time that I play.”
Watching Abdul Aziz Olajuwon who should play a prominent role on the Canadian U19 team pic.twitter.com/JIGi8OPLzz
— Wes Brown (@wesblairbrown) May 16, 2025
On the recruitment front, Olajuwon has received offers from Sam Houston and UT Arlington, and he just picked up Virginia Tech on June 7. The forward hopes more schools offer as the summer moves on, and from there he’ll start planning out and taking visits.
Texas and Vanderbilt were in at Clements to see Olajuwon at some point during the high school season. He’s talking to a few other high-major programs including Cincinnati and UCF. Olajuwon broke down some of these schools below:
Sam Houston: “They’ve been there since sophomore year, the start of my sophomore year. They offered me as soon as they saw me. They text me here and there and they came out to Memphis. I haven’t taken a visit there.”
Texas: “They just came to see one of my practices. I think the assistant was talking to me about the new staff, and they said they like me.”
UCF: “The coach [Mamadou N’Diaye] went from there to Cincinnati, but I’m still talking to the head coach at UCF.”
Vanderbilt: “They have a good team. They made the tournament this last year. I like the staff. They’re always sending me stats about their schools and their team. And you have to have good grades to get there.” Assistant coach Rick Ray mainly in contact.
Virginia Tech: “I’m excited and blessed to have received an offer from them. I’ve been working hard, and I appreciate them believing in me and seeing my potential.”
When picking a school, Olajuwon will be looking closely at how teammates treat one another.
“Everyone wants everyone to eat,” Olajuwon said. “Everyone wants everyone to win. And that’s really what I look for in programs. Not just people looking out for themselves. That’s a big problem.”
Olajuwon will be back at Clements for his senior season. Last year as a junior, he played point guard.
“I had to work on my ball handling,” Olajuwon said. “That really helped me develop my game and different parts of my game. So I’m happy my coach put me at the one just to work on it and gain experience at that position.”
The forward’s father played his college basketball at Houston. Aziz said Hakeem’s taught him many life lessons.
“Just confidence,” Olajuwon said. “I said this in an interview yesterday, the best players have the highest confidence. Knowing their game, knowing what they can do… Everytime I play, [Hakeem’s] always pointing out things I could do better. He knows I can do better, so he’s always pushing me and I’m grateful for that.”
Olajuwon is ranked a four-star prospect via ESPN and the No. 9 overall player in the state of Texas.
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