DALLAS — Abdul-Malik Olajuwon, a four-star guard in the Class of 2027 and the son of Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, committed to the SMU Mustangs on Oct. 1, he told Paul Biancardi of ESPN.
The 6-foot-4 Olajuwon is the No. 66 overall prospect and the No. 4 shooting guard in his class in the 247Sports composite rankings. He is SMU’s first commitment in the 2027 class and would join the program for the 2027-28 season.
On Aug. 19, Olajuwon named six finalists: SMU, Kansas State, Minnesota, TCU, Texas Tech, and Virginia Tech. He also held offers from Auburn, UNLV, Wake Forest, and West Virginia. He took an official visit to Minnesota and visited SMU’s campus the weekend of Sept. 25. Visits to Kansas State and Virginia Tech were still on his schedule when he committed. Houston, where his father starred in college, did not offer him.
Olajuwon said the Mustangs plan to use him at point guard and on the defensive end as a freshman, and that SMU plays to win, which fits his style.
“Coach (Andy) Enfield is a laid-back guy, but he’s intense,” Olajuwon told ESPN. “He’s not a yeller or a screamer, but he gets his point across. When he talks, the gym becomes silent. Everyone listens to him and respects him.”
“My dad was with me on the visit and feels that this is a great decision for me,” Olajuwon continued. “I also leaned on my older brother, who’s been through the process and told me not to think only about basketball, but to think long-term.”
Abdul-Malik Olajuwon’s Game And Track Record
Olajuwon grew up in the Houston area and played at Fort Bend Clements High School in Sugar Land before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for his senior season. His older brother Aziz made the same move before his own senior year.
Playing for JL3 on the 2026 Nike EYBL circuit, Olajuwon averaged 12.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. He shot 42.7% from the field and 31.3% from 3-point range, and he recorded 28 steals and 14 blocks across 20 games.
Born in Texas, Olajuwon plays internationally for Canada through his Canadian mother. Over the summer, he averaged 9.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in five games at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup. Canada beat the United States 67-65 in the final to win the gold medal.
Adam Finkelstein, the director of scouting at 247Sports, evaluated Olajuwon as a late-blooming shooting guard. In Finkelstein’s report, Olajuwon’s shooting stands out, and he uses a pull-up game to create his shots. Finkelstein also noted flashes of ball-handling and passing as a connective playmaker. He listed Olajuwon’s frame as the main limit on attacking the paint and playing through contact. Finkelstein credited Olajuwon’s 6-foot-8 wingspan and lateral quickness on defense and listed added strength as the area for growth on that end as well.
Hakeem Olajuwon And The Olajuwon Family In Basketball
Hakeem Olajuwon was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and came to the United States to play at Houston. With Clyde Drexler on the roster, the Cougars teams known as Phi Slama Jama reached three Final Fours and played in back-to-back national championship games in 1983 and 1984.
The Houston Rockets selected Olajuwon with the first overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. He played 17 of his 18 NBA seasons with Houston and finished his career with the Toronto Raptors in 2001-02.
Olajuwon was the 1993-94 MVP, a 12-time All-Star, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and a 12-time All-NBA selection. Houston won championships in 1994 and 1995, and he was Finals MVP both times. He averaged 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game over his career, and he made 25 of his 124 career 3-point attempts. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Four of Abdul-Malik’s siblings have played college basketball. His oldest sister, Abisola Olajuwon, played at Oklahoma and spent two seasons in the WNBA with the Chicago Sky and the Tulsa Shock.
At Detroit Mercy in 2023-24, Abdullah Olajuwon appeared in 23 games and averaged 2.3 points and 2.8 rebounds.
Rahman Olajuwon, a 6-foot-8 forward, played one season at Tyler Junior College, starting 13 of his 31 games and averaging 2.5 points. He joined the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns as a transfer in August 2025 and has also played for the Jordan national team.
A top-100 recruit in the Class of 2026, Aziz Olajuwon is a freshman at Stanford. SMU and Stanford both play in the ACC.
SMU went 20-14 last season and lost in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. The Mustangs host Texas A&M in an exhibition Oct. 25 at Moody Coliseum.
