JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - It's never easy carrying a surname synonymous to greatness.
But Abdullah Olajuwon is hardly fazed whatsoever.
"It's a blessing," the 21-year-old combo guard said, matter-of-factly.
Being a son of one of basketball's greatest in Hakeem Olajuwon, there was, of course, a ton of anticipation when Abdullah and his younger brother, Abdul Rahman, got named to Jordan's FIBA Asia Cup 2025 lineup.
Their inclusion marked the latest chapter of the Hall of Famer's children starting to author their own international careers, with Aziz the first to do so as he represented Canada in the recent FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
Tuesday marked the continental conclave's opening salvo at the King Abdullah Sports City with Jordan among the Day 1 competitors, and that proved to be an opportunity for the two to officially make their debuts.
But without a doubt, Abdullah made his own memorable.
The hooper out of University of Detroit Mercy provided quality minutes off the bench, contributing 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists to help out in carving the 91-84 overtime victory against the upset-hungry India.
Olajuwon was crucial in the fourth quarter, nailing buckets from within close range to keep themselves ahead - including one to make it a 76-71 cushion - before the usual providers led by Hashem Abbas stepped in.
"I've been wanting to do this since like, '23," he offered, reflecting on finally getting the chance to represent the land where he and his brother were born. "So, yeah, it's been a couple of years. I've been waiting."
"I've been speaking to coaches. But finally, Coach Roy made it happen, so I'm really grateful for him."
Head coach Roy Rana sung praises for the second-generation athlete's solid first game as he appears to have found a potential building block toward the kind of growth he hopes to see in the Falcons.
The Canadian bench tactician, who was appointed just last June, brought in a number of players that came from the youth program just recently as he's looking to develop the young talent they have now.
"We had a bunch of guys from our U19 team. Adding the Olajuwon twins, we have some very young players, first time playing in the national team," he said. "Today was the first official competition for Abdullah Olajuwon."
"I thought he was really good as a 21-year-old, I thought he gave us some great minutes," he added. "It's exciting. I think Jordanians should be excited about the future of this program. But we have a lot of work to do."
Olajuwon himself can't wait to see what the future holds for him and this batch of Team Jordan.
"We're learning together, and hopefully we grow together. So at some point, we'll be a solid group," he said. "We're just hoping for that and building from the start. Really excited ... I'm really excited to see how we compete."
FIBA