Malik Olajuwon Picks SMU, and We Had Him at Five Leaves

Malik Olajuwon is going to SMU. The 2027 shooting guard told 247Sports he has committed to the Mustangs. He's a four-star prospect, a top-ten shooting guard in the national class, and a summer stock riser. He's also the son of NBA Hall of Fame big man Hakeem Olajuwon.

Back in August, Olajuwon cut his list to six: Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, SMU, Minnesota, TCU and Kansas State. That's a high-major field, and SMU won it.

The name isn't why those programs were calling. A famous last name gets eyeballs, but it doesn't put a guard on that many high-major lists or move him up a national board. A summer rise means the evaluation changed after people watched him play.

The Maple Minute has had Olajuwon in our database as a five-leaf prospect, which in our system means a bonafide NCAA D1 player. He's a 6'2 guard out of Sugar Land, Texas, playing his prep season at Clements and running with JL3 Elite on the EYBL circuit. That means a steady diet of top competition with college coaches in the gym every weekend, and it's where a stock riser gets proven.

For SMU, this is a statement recruit: a top-ten guard at his position, chosen over five other high-major programs. For Malik, it's the first big decision that's entirely his own.

We'll keep tracking him as he moves from the EYBL circuit to the college level.