 Azubuike at the2016 McDonald's All-American Game | |
| No. 27 – Ironi Ness Ziona | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center /power forward |
| League | Ligat HaAl |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1999-09-17)September 17, 1999 (age 26) Lagos, Nigeria |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Potter's House Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Florida) |
| College | Kansas (2016–2020) |
| NBA draft | 2020: 1st round, 27th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Utah Jazz |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Career history | |
| 2020–2023 | Utah Jazz |
| 2021–2022 | →Salt Lake City Stars |
| 2023–2024 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2024–2025 | Budućnost |
| 2025–present | Ironi Ness Ziona |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Udoka Timothy Azubuike (/juːˈdoʊkəˌæzəˈbuːki/yoo-DOH-kəAZ-ə-BOO-kee;[1] born September 17, 1999) is a Nigerian-American professionalbasketball player forIroni Ness Ziona of the IsraeliLigat HaAl. He playedcollege basketball for theKansas Jayhawks and was selected in the first round of the2020 NBA draft by theUtah Jazz.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Azubuike was the youngest of 5, with two older brothers and two older sisters.[2] His father, Fabian, was a police officer, and his mother, Florence, was a middle school teacher.[3] Azubuike lost his father to an undiagnosed disease at the age of 10.[3] In 2012, he caught the attention of recruiters withBasketball Without Borders and was offered a scholarship to play basketball in the United States.[3]
Azubuike attended Potter's House Christian Academy inJacksonville, Florida. His then assistant coach Harry Coxsome and his wife Donna took care of him and soon became hislegal guardians.[3] In his first high school game he was matched up against fellow future Kansas JayhawkJoel Embiid.[3] Azubuike was a four-year starter averaging 16.9points and 9.7rebounds per game his senior year.[4]
Azubuike playedAmateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Georgia Stars in theNike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).[5] He was selected to play in the2016 McDonald's All-American Boys Game,[6]Jordan Brand Classic,[7] andNike Hoop Summit.[8] He was also a member of theNational Honor Society.[3]
Azubuike was rated as a five-star recruit and considered a top-20 prospect in the 2016 high school class.[9][10][11]Rivals.com ranked him as the 27th-best overall player[12] whileESPN ranked him 22nd overall in the class of 2016.[13][14] Azubuike received offers from many universities includingDuke,Texas,Kentucky, and shortened his final list of colleges toFlorida State, Kansas, andNorth Carolina.[4] On January 28, 2016, he announced his choice to play college basketball at theUniversity of Kansas.[15]
In his freshman season he started in six of the 11 games he played in before tearingligaments in his left wrist, which ended his season.[16] Before the injury, he averaged 5.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6blocks, and 62.9%field goal accuracy.
For the2017–18 season, Kansas' coachBill Self recruitedKansas football player James Sosinski to defend Azubuike during practice.[17] Udoka started every game of the regular season but missed theBig 12 Conference tournament after spraining his leftMCL.[18] He returned for the NCAA tournament until KU's loss to eventual championVillanova in theFinal Four.[19] He averaged 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and led the nation with a 77% field goal percentage for the season.[20] His field goal percentage broke the single-season record for Kansas and theBig 12 Conference.[21] This high percentage was in part due to the majority of his field goals beingslam dunks, which typically have a higher completion percentage than jump shots or layups. He had more dunks than any other college player going back to the 2009–2010 season.[22] He was awarded All-Big 12 third team by the conference's coaches[23] and second team by theAP.[24]
On April 20, 2018, Azubuike announced his intention to enter the2018 NBA draft. He did not initially hire an agent, which would allow him to return before the combine.[25] Azubuike was one of a record-high 69 prospects invited to theNBA Draft Combine that year. On May 17, he measured out to be a near-7-foot-tall center (with shoes on) weighing in at 274 pounds (124 kg) and holding the second-longest wingspan at 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m), behind onlyMohamed Bamba.[26] On May 30, 2018, he announced his intent to withdraw from the draft and return to Kansas for his junior season.[27]
Azubuike was selected as an honorable mention to the 2018–19 All-Big 12 preseason team.[28] On December 4, 2018, he severely sprained his right ankle againstWofford and missed the following four games.[29] On January 5, 2019, Azubuike injured his wrist during practice.[30] AnMRI revealed he tore a ligament in his right hand,[31] and he underwent season-ending surgery on January 9, 2019.[32]
Kansas won all nine games Azubuike played including against top-ten teamsTennessee andMichigan State. He finished the season averaging 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds.[33]
On April 22, 2019, Azubuike announced he would return to Kansas for his senior season.[34] According to KU coach Bill Self, “We’re all very excited about Udoka making the decision not to enter the [NBA] draft. Unfortunately for him, injury is the reason as he still cannot participate (at) what would be the NBA combine or workouts for the NBA teams."[35]
Azubuike scored a career-high 29 points in a 90–84 overtime win overDayton on November 27, 2019.[36] On February 22, 2020, he scored 23 points and had a career-high 19 rebounds in a 64–61 win over top-rankedBaylor.[37]
At the conclusion of the regular season, Azubuike was named theBig 12 Player of the Year[38] andNABC Defensive Player of the Year.[39] He averaged 13.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game as a senior.[40] Azubuike's career field goal percentage of 74.9% is an NCAA record.[41]
Azubuike was selected with the 27th pick in the first round of the2020 NBA draft by theUtah Jazz.[42] On November 24, 2020, the Jazz announced that they had signed Azubuike.[43] Azubuike was assigned to the Jazz'sNBA G League affiliate, theSalt Lake City Stars, for the start of the 2021 G League season, making his G League debut on February 10, 2021. He made his NBA playoff debut on June 14 in game 4 of the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals, recording a rebound in a minute and nine seconds of action in a 118–104 loss to theLos Angeles Clippers.[44]
On March 25, 2022, Azubuike underwent right foot surgery and was ruled out for the rest of the 2021–22 season.[45]
On August 8, 2023, Azubuike signed atwo-way contract with thePhoenix Suns.[46][47] He made his team debut on October 28 by putting up 2 points and 3 rebounds during 6 minutes of action in a 126–104 win over his former team, theUtah Jazz. On December 20, Azubuike recorded his first double-double with the Suns with 11 points and a season-high 11 rebounds in a 120–105 loss to theSacramento Kings.
On August 19, 2024, Azubuike signed withBudućnost VOLI of thePrva A Liga.[48]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Utah | 15 | 0 | 3.8 | .444 | — | .800 | .9 | .0 | .1 | .3 | 1.1 |
| 2021–22 | Utah | 17 | 6 | 11.5 | .755 | — | .545 | 4.2 | .0 | .1 | .6 | 4.7 |
| 2022–23 | Utah | 36 | 4 | 10.0 | .819 | — | .350 | 3.3 | .3 | .2 | .4 | 3.5 |
| 2023–24 | Phoenix | 16 | 0 | 7.1 | .696 | — | .231 | 2.0 | .2 | .1 | .4 | 2.2 |
| Career | 84 | 10 | 8.6 | .758 | — | .444 | 2.8 | .2 | .1 | .4 | 3.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Utah | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | — | — | — | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | — | — | — | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | |
| * | Led NCAA Division I |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Kansas | 11 | 6 | 12.9 | .629 | – | .380 | 4.1 | .2 | .2 | 1.6 | 5.0 |
| 2017–18 | Kansas | 36 | 34 | 23.6 | .770* | – | .413 | 7.0 | .7 | .6 | 1.7 | 13.0 |
| 2018–19 | Kansas | 9 | 9 | 20.4 | .705 | – | .344 | 6.8 | .6 | .4 | 1.6 | 13.4 |
| 2019–20 | Kansas | 31 | 30 | 27.7 | .748* | – | .441 | 10.5 | .9 | .5 | 2.6 | 13.7 |
| Career | 87 | 79 | 23.4 | .746 | – | .416 | 7.9 | .7 | .5 | 2.0 | 12.3 | |