LAUSANNE (Switzerland) - The name is unmistakable, let's get it out of the way right away.
Yes, Aziz Olajuwon is the son of legendary big man and Team USA 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Hakeem Olajuwon. But the youngster's road to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 is one you probably didn't see coming.
So, let's take a journey.
I'm just really excited to play for a national team on the world stage. Just go out there and compete and hopefully get a medal.
Aziz is playing for Canada in Lausanne, so we can start there. He was born in Canada, which is the homeland of his mother. Hakeem Olajuwon had, however, long ended his basketball career when Aziz was born. The Hall of Famer only played in one season in Canada for the Toronto Raptors in 2001-02, his final campaign of 18 illustrious years in the NBA.
"My mom was really excited for me just to represent the country on the world stage," said Olajuwon, who is averaging 5.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
"It's an honor."
Aziz was born in 2006, but he never lived in Canada. Instead he lived with his parents in Jordan while his father dealt with business in Houston, where he played for most of his NBA career. Aziz lived in Jordan for eight years with his family visiting Canada in the summers.
Aziz still speaks a little bit of Arabic and he has good memories of his time in the Arab world.
"I remember a lot - the house, the location, the people, my school, everything really. It was really a good vibe in Jordan," Olajuwon recalled.
Aziz, by this time, had not really started playing basketball. He was more messing around with football - the sport his father used to play as goalkeeper back in his native country, Nigeria, before being eventually moving to the hardwood.
Aziz Olajuwon's journey in basketball actually began somewhere else. The family moved to England when he was 8 years old and that is when he started to pick up the sport. He went to a secondary school in Birmingham, about 1.5 hours from London.
England is not necessarily known as a basketball powerhouse, but Olajuwon didn't mind it.
"I wasn't really worried about the competition. I was just starting out, just learning how to dribble, how to shoot, how to play the game. So I joined a local club, COB Rockets and just went from there," he said.
Olajuwon was grateful for the experience and being there was good for his development. The family stayed in England for six years and only in 2021 did the Olajuwons move to the USA, landing in Sugar Land. That is a city located just outside of Houston, where Hakeem helped the Rockets to two NBA titles in 1994 and 1995.
Houston is known for being home to a number of NBA players including Jimmy Butler, Jarred Vanderbilt, Stephen Jackson, DeAndre Jordan, Emeka Okafor, Justice Winslow, Gerald Green and Daniel Gibson among others.
"I didn't really pay attention to the guys I was playing. I was just worried about my own path and my own journey because everyone's different," Aziz said. "But the competition is definitely better in Houston."
While his father towered in height as one of the greatest centers to ever play the game, Aziz stands 1.98M (6'6") and is more a wing.
When asked to describe his game, he said: "I feel like I'm efficient and I'm aggressive. I'm aggressive on both sides, especially the defensive end. I can guard one through five. I'm just very disruptive on the ball, and I take pride in defense. I have fun playing defense, and then offense takes care of itself. It's playing the right way, finding open teammates, knocking down shots, drive, kicking, all the good stuff."
Olajuwon said his defensive mentality came from his father, who is the NBA's all-time blocks leader with 3,830 to go with 2,162 steals - the only player in NBA history to record over 3,000 blocks and 2,000 steals. Hakeem was also two time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and in 2022 the award was re-named to The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy.
"My dad gave me a lot of keys on mindset and how aggressive you really have to be."
Aziz also credited his high school coach for that side of the ball, saying: "When I first went into high school, I was an 'okay' defender. And he was always pushing defense and telling me at the collegiate level, you have to play defense. So I bought in and took pride in defense and enjoyed playing defense."
But Aziz says his father has been the overwhelming driving force in his game.
"He's always talking to me about my game - where I can do better, where I do well, and playing to my strength. He's always criticizing me, which I'm really grateful for. And I'm blessed to have a father like that," he said.
Aziz has turned himself into a decent prospect in USA youth basketball, making waves at this spring's NBPA Top 100 Camp. And he said he really hadn't thought much about playing internationally until it was clear his 2006-born generation would be eligible for the FIBA U19 World Cup this summer.
"The opportunity presented itself and I'm blessed to be playing for Canada," he said. "I'm just really excited to play for a national team on the world stage. Just go out there and compete and hopefully get a medal."
Aziz was not the only Olajuwon called to the initial Canada training camp as his brother Malik Olajuwon was also invited. But the 2008-born brother did not make the team.
"I was pretty disappointed, but he's younger, so he has another chance in the upcoming year," said Aziz. "He was unfortunate to not make it, but I'm still representing the name."
Speaking of the name, Hakeem Olajuwon was one of the greatest the game has ever seen. What is it like bearing that name on a basketball court?
"I'm grateful that I have the opportunity, grateful I have that name. I am just looking forward to competing and doing my best. I don't feel any pressure. I don't care what people think, what people say. I'm just worried about doing my thing on the court."
One thing is certain, Aziz Olajuwon’s road to Lausanne isn't a common one.
FIBA