Texas Tech basketball fans who also love the NBA will recognize the last name of one of the Red Raiders' latest recruiting targets, especially those from the Houston area. Malik Olajuwon, son of Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon, is a rising star in the high school ranks, and Texas Tech is in pursuit of his services.
The younger Olajuwon has cut his list of schools to six, and Tech remains in play. The other programs still in the running are SMU, Virginia Tech, TCU, Minnesota, and Kansas State.
According to 247Sports.com, Olajuwon is a 4-star prospect and the No. 147 player in the class of 2027. However, unlike his father, he is not a post player. Rather, the 6-foot-4 Sugar Land, Texas native is the No. 24 shooting guard in his class.
Hakeem Olajuwon was a 12-time NBA All-Star, a two-time NBA Champion, and an NBA MVP for the Rockets. He spent 17 of the 18 years he played in the NBA in Space City, making him an icon in the state of Texas. A dominant two-way player, he averaged 21.8 points per game while also setting an NBA record with 3,830 career blocked shots.
Now, though, Texas Tech fans might want to start becoming familiar with Malik Olajuwon. That's because he could be the program's first high school commit in the 2027 class.
NEWS: 4⭐️ Malik Olajuwon is down to six schools, he told @Rivals. ⁰⁰The 6-5 shooting guard and son of NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon is ranked as a top-85 overall recruit in the 2027 class. His official visit schedule: https://t.co/rE5UX5KBxg pic.twitter.com/uatQu81EEB
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) August 19, 2026
Texas Tech will need to reload at the guard position after this season
It makes sense for the Red Raiders to be in the market for help at the guard position. That's because the 2026-27 roster is full of guards and wings who aren't going to be in Lubbock for long.
The three players who are expected to be Tech's primary guards in 2026-27, Donovan Atwell, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, and Cruz Davis, are all seniors. The good news, though, is that Gibbs-Lawhorn and Davis could play two years for the Red Raiders given the new 5-for-5 eligibility rule in college athletics.
More good news is that two of the other guards on the roster, Dakari Spear and Amari Bennett, are just freshmen. If both prove to be ready for life in the Big 12, then the future could be bright in the Red Raider backcourt after this season.
However, with the nature of college rosters in the modern era, there is no way to count on any player being on a roster for more than the current year. So adding to the mix via the portal and the high school ranks is more important than ever.
Hopefully, Tech can close the deal with Olajuwon and bring him into the fold next season. Certainly, that would go over well with Red Raiders who are also Rockets fans and who are accustomed to the Olajuwon name bringing them plenty of joy over the years.
Add us as a preferred source on Google