Unknown Date; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Houston Rockets center #34 HAKEEM OLAJUWON in action against JOHN SALLEY of the Miami Heat at the Miami Arena during the 1994-95 season. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Imagn Images (c) Copyright Imagn Images RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Stanford Basketball Lands Game-Changing Commitment with Ties to Houston Rockets

Originally posted on Stanford Cardinal on SI
By Jason Burke | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 5:11 PM ET

Stanford basketball just landed a huge four-star commitment in Aziz Olajuwon, the son of Houston Rockets legend, Hakeem Olajuwon. Aziz had been deciding between Houston, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati and Stanford, and ended up choosing the Cardinal because the tour, "felt like a real day in the life, not just a tour … it just felt right."

That visit occurred back in August, and with Olajuwon on board, the Cardinal figure to be a fearsome program when he lands on The Farm in 2026.

Olajuwon is ranked as a top-40 recruit, and added a little more about his visit in an interview with ESPN. "I chose Stanford because the coaching staff made it clear they are about me not just as an athlete, but as a person. That meant a lot in the process.

"Coach Smith and really the whole staff are people who really invest in their players, on and off the court," Olajuwon said. "Their passion, leadership and ability to connect with the teams made a huge impression on me"

NEWS: 4⭐️ Aziz Olajuwon, the son of NBA Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, has committed to Stanford, he told @Rivals.

The 6-7 small forward also considered schools like Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, and Houston. https://t.co/wrJnDOx2dm pic.twitter.com/AEX5m7n1z2
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 20, 2025

The fact that he mentioned coach Smith directly in this process should have Cardinal fans extremely excited about the future of this program. In his first year on The Farm, he took the program from back-to-back 14-win campaigns up to a 21-win season for the first time since 2014-15 when Johnny Dawkins' team went 24-13.

The Cardinal hadn't won 20 games in a season since 2019-20 when they went 20-12 under Jerod Haase.

Not only did Stanford win more games as a unit, but Maxime Raynaud also went from having an outside chance of being a draft pick entering last season to a surefire selection. In fact, a number of people were surprised he lasted until the 42nd pick in the NBA Draft, ultimately landing with the Sacramento Kings.

As for Olajuwon, he averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists over the course of 19 games over the summer, and the 6-foot-7 small forward figures to be in Stanford's starting rotation as soon as he walks onto campus next season.

It'll be interesting to see how the addition of Olajuwon impacts the Stanford roster moving forward. Having a big-name four-star recruit on board figures to be a boon for the recruitment process moving forward, but results on the court will also be a big selling point for the program.

After reaching the 20-win mark last season, a bid in the NCAA Tournament this year could go a long way to building up a sustained winning program that continuously replenishes its talent pool.

This article first appeared on Stanford Cardinal on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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