2026 4-Star SF Aziz Olajuwon Locks in Vanderbilt Visit

Aziz Olajuwon, son of NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, is expected to take an official visit to Nashville this fall. The 6-foot-6, 205 lb. small forward is ranked as one of the top talents in the state of Texas for the 2026 recruiting class.

2026 4-Star SF Aziz Olajuwon | Credit @CobRockets on Instagra

Mark Byington and the Vanderbilt staff are looking to add a bit of NBA legacy to the Commodores' 2026 recruiting class by locking in an official visit with the son of a legendary player this week.

4-Star small forward Aziz Olajuwon, whose father is 1994 NBA MVP and two-time champion with the Houston Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon, officially confirmed an upcoming visit to Nashville on Monday, according to Joe Tipton of Rivals.

4⭐️ Aziz Olajuwon has scheduled two additional official visits, he tells @Rivals:

Vanderbilt: September 19
Houston: October 9https://t.co/EUJAh13WHI https://t.co/wtYXgrVi3e pic.twitter.com/8li0tzcQly

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) August 4, 2025

The 6-foot-6, 205 lb. prospect from Fort Bend Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas will be on campus the weekend of September 19, joining 4-Star point guard Anthony Brown who is also expected to be in town.

Olajuwon has taken just one trip thus far, heading to Palo Alto to visit with Kyle Smith and the Stanford Cardinal on July 31. Vanderbilt is his next stop, but he has lined up stops at Cincinnati (September 26), TCU (October 3) and Houston (October 9) as well.

The Texas native is ranked as the No. 41 small forward in the nation and the No. 9 player in the Longhorn State, according to 247Sports' composite ranking. He recently competed for Team Canada in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup where he helped the team to a fifth place finish.

Olajuwon was not a major contributor in his time with the national team, averaging just over 14 minutes per game and adding 7.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest. As a junior for Fort Bend Clements High School though, he averaged just under 20 points per game with nine rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

While it may be a longshot for the Commodores to land the son of a Houston Cougars legend, Vanderbilt is not out of the race for the talented player. Olajuwon has yet to line up an official commitment date, and still has an entire senior season to play before a decision must be made.

Byington and the Commodores put together a surprisingly strong performance in 2024, beginning the year as the preseason bottom dweller in the SEC, and ending it in the NCAA Tournament. While a first round exit is always a tough pill to swallow, the program took a major step forward in year one under a new coach.

Vanderbilt has not yet landed a commitment in the 2026 recruiting class, but has locked in several visits with talented prospects.

• 4-Star PF Trey Thompson (June 25)
• 4-Star C Sam Funches (August 1)
• 4-Star SF Gage Mayfield (September 6)
• 4-Star SF Aziz Olajuwon (September 19)
• 4-Star PG Anthony Brown (September 19)