Nigerian basketball legend Hakeem Olajuwon has revealed how some of the biggest names in the National Basketball Association, including the late Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama, approached him for guidance to improve their skills.

Olajuwon disclosed this during an interview with CNN correspondent Larry Madowo, which aired on November 9, 2026.

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He discussed his involvement in mentoring top basketball players since retiring from professional basketball.

The former Houston Rockets centre said he never planned to become a mentor but was approached by the players themselves.

“I didn’t plan that, they reached out to me.

From LeBron, Kobe, Wembyama, Giannis, he said.

He identified Bryant, the late Los Angeles Lakers superstar, as the first player to contact him, recalling how the five-time NBA champion called him during the summer to learn some of his trademark moves.

Kobe started it.

Kobe called me up in the summer time, Olajuwon said.

He admitted that he was initially surprised by Bryant’s request, given the American’s established reputation and achievements in the game.

They wanted to come down and work out with me.

I said they was kidding.

I said, because I said, Kobe, you got everything.

You are Kobe, right, he recalled.

However, Bryant insisted that he wanted to learn from the Nigerian-born basketball icon.

Olajuwon also discussed his training sessions with French basketball star Victor Wembanyama, explaining that their work focused on helping the San Antonio Spurs centre maximise his height and technical abilities.

First of all, you know, you look at how to leverage it.

You have the height advantage, you have the skill.

How do you leverage it to the max? he said.

The two-time NBA champion also spoke about mentoring Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose parents are Nigerian, particularly on improving his finishing ability and creating space around defenders.

“I enjoy working with this guy’s skill, how to finish, how to create space and dunk,” Olajuwon said.

He explained that the sessions were focused less on fundamental basketball techniques and more on helping the players recognise and exploit scoring opportunities.

So we’re not talking about basics now.

We just talking about how to create opportunities.

And these guys are so athletic when they get that, they get any space, bam, he added.

Born in Lagos on January 21, 1963, Olajuwon played college basketball at the University of Houston before being selected first overall by the Houston Rockets in the 1984 NBA Draft.

He spent most of his 18-season NBA career with the Rockets, playing for the franchise from 1984 to 2001 before joining the Toronto Raptors for his final season in 2001–02.

Olajuwon won consecutive NBA championships with Houston in 1994 and 1995, earning the Finals Most Valuable Player award on both occasions.

He also won the league’s regular-season MVP award in 1994, was named Defensive Player of the Year twice and made 12 All-Star appearances.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and won an Olympic gold medal with the United States at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Among the players he mentioned, Bryant is the only one who has died.

The former Lakers star died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, aged 41.

His daughter Gianna and seven other people also died in the crash.

Bryant spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Lakers, winning five championships, two Finals MVP awards and the 2008 regular-season MVP honour.

He retired from professional basketball in 2016 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

The other players have continued their professional careers.