Im very grateful for everything Ive had over the years. Carol FitzgeraldBob Fitzgerald / Spouse (m. 19902016). To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. In 2012, he caught the attention of recruiters with Basketball Without Borders and was offered a scholarship to . (Photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage) / WireImage. [16] His field goal percentage broke the single-season record for Kansas and the Big 12 Conference. We think Kelenna is one of the bright, young stars in the broadcasting business, Warriors President Rick Welts said in a statement. Azubuike called himself a basketball junkie who loves talking about the game. Usher in the broadcaster empowerment era. [25] On January 5, 2019, Azubuike injured his wrist during practice. Media column: Al Davis '30 for 30 review; Warriors' Kelenna Azubuike settles in. [4]In 2007-08, he averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds in 21 minutes of action. Lets not forget how he got here in the first place! Barnett elevates yapping about a basketball game into something dignified and illuminating, something affirming. Utah JazzUdoka Azubuike / Current team (#20 / Center)The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. N.Y Knicks player Kelenna Azubuike attends the launch of the new Trident Vitality gum at the Gansevoort Park Avenue on December 8, 2010 in New York City. Theres nothing inherently wrong with being a homer! Hes charismatic, knowledgeable, quite funny, and with his business acumen and growing portfolio of investments, seems like the sort of guy who might actually enjoy being adjacent to Silicon Valley and all that associated nonsense. At the end of the second quarter, broadcasters Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike specifically poked fun at the Nuggets players and seemed to suggest Rivers was overpaid while being coached by his father with the Clippers from 2015-18. "The hope is that he can possibly help us this year. He got a big contract extension when, oh wait, his dad was the coach, said Fitzgerald. For the 20172018 season, Kansas' coach Bill Self recruited Kansas football player James Sosinski to defend Azubuike during practice. Heres who has offered big bucks so far. A few (masochists) tolerate the pair, because yes, it does take a certain amount of toil for some people to get worked up about an NBA teams local broadcasting duo. And, no, Jim Barnett is not retiring. If not for him, who knows where Id be. Though Azubuikes style will differ a bit from that of Barnett a natural, given the generational gap one thing that wont change is honesty and objectivity. Azubuike spent five years in the NBA (averaging 14.4 pts a game in 2008-2009) before he had to hang up his sneakers. "Utah Jazz take Kansas center Udoka Azubuike at No. He obviously brings some history with the Warriors and their rise to prominence; Azubuike was Stephen Currys teammate on the 2009-10 team. [16] On 20 April 2012, Azubuike played in his first NBA game since 14 November 2009, against the Golden State Warriors. Azubuike was selected with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. Warriors replace Jim Barnett with Kelenna Azubuike as TV color analyst He was our smile because it happened franchise player. The Dubs have won five straight and Stephs return is on the horizon! Let Barnett explain triple-threat positioning or what Bill Russells favorite sandwich was as Baron Davis waxes rhapsodical about Laura Dern or what it was like to shame the entire country of Russia when he posterized Andrei Kirilenko. He always comes equipped with the latest talking points from on high. While he was somehow able to keep pace with the other guards, he knew it was time to retire if he wanted the retain the ability to walk in future years. Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in. It's easy to forget that he's only 35, as his career was cut short by a brutal knee injury suffered playing for the Warriors early in the 2009-10 season. @ plays for the team . Please enter a valid email and try again. Udoka Timothy Azubuike (/judok zbuki/; born September 17, 1999) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). On August 4, 2006, the Houston Rockets signed Azubuike to their training camp roster, but waived him on October 24 after only two preseason games. Details on the contract were not disclosed. He's previously contributed to The New Yorker, Vice, GQ and more. The second-year center suffered a right ankle sprain earlier this month while on assignment with the G League affiliate Salt Lake City Stars. A lingering knee injury has forced former Cat Kelenna Azubuike into an early retirement from basketball. We think Kelenna is one of the bright, young stars in the broadcasting business, Warriors president/COO Rick Welts said in a statement issued by the team. Azubuike answered, "Soccer, that's what I was thinking. Hes fairly knowledgeable about the game, reasonably prepared, generally knows how to pronounce last names and always seems to remember if someone is from one of the Congos. Im grateful that the Warriors are giving me a contract to do this. Two adults who talk on television for a living should know better than to mock the accent of a player from a different country, as. But because my last name, its an easy diss and cop out. Now that they appear to be emerging from their recent, unsettling slump, they should be a squad reliably worthy of a nightly League Pass Alert. [20] Since then, he has been assigned to announce 11 of the 19 NBA D-League games produced by NBA TV in 2016. Kelenna completely tore is patellar tendon. [2], Azubuike attended Potter's House Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida. [10] In the final hour, Golden State matched the offer made by the Clippers on 24 July 2008, allowing Azubuike to remain a Warrior. 62. Had too much integrity. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. That was clearly a foul. [9][10] Azubuike received offers from many universities including Duke, Texas, Kentucky, and shortened his final list of colleges to Florida State, Kansas, and North Carolina. Azubuike takes the job at a fascinating point in Warriors history. Barnett will return for his 35th season providing opinion and insights, but his medium will change. After that, Fitzgerald and Azubuike laughed while they mocked the accent of the Argentinian Campazzo. Jan 22, 2021. [8] He was also eligible to play for the Nigeria national team. I consent to the use of following cookies: Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. 270lbsUdoka Azubuike / Weight Since 2015, Kelenna has been a part of the station's sports team. We have been suffering in silence, but discussing John Mayers underrated guitar chops at the close of the Warriors-Wizards game is the straw that broke the camels brain. Barnett was willing to criticize when the situation called for it, and Azubuike expects to do the same. Can you integrate if function is not continuous? He holds both Nigerian and US citizenship; his application for British citizenship was turned down in December 2007 due to problems with the immigration status of his parents at the time of his birth. Lets not settle for just Barnett, though. Austin Rivers slams Warriors announcers for contract accusation From Sleepy Floyds incredible playoff performance in 1987 to our most recent stretch that has included three championships and five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, his outstanding work has been an everyday staple on the airwaves., [RELATED: Where Livingston wants to end career after Warriors release]. Kelenna Azubuike | Golden State Warriors | NBA.com Azubuike (ankle) is out Friday against the Hornets. In his last season, he played with Cleveland Cavaliers for $1 Million.. After retiring from Basketball, Azubuike started working with . He finished his high school career as the second all-time leading scorer in Oklahoma prep basketball history after amassing 3,530 career points. Its time to pay the broadcasting luxury tax and pair Barnett, irreplaceable living legend, with Baron Davis, the bearded dynamo who taught long-suffering Warriors fans to respect themselves once again, or perhaps, for the first time. [19], In the summer of 2015, Azubuike attended the Sportscaster U. program at Syracuse University sponsored by the NBPA, training for a career in broadcasting. Azubuike attended Victory Christian School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was recruited . Azubuike then played for the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA Development League, leading the league in scoring during the 200607 season and eventually being called up to play for the Golden State Warriors. During Mondays game against the Washington Wizards, Azubuike even went so far as to describe Steph Curry as a big-time player. I dont know, man. The Warriors named Kelenna Azubuike as their new television color analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, replacing Jim Barnett, a longtime staple of the game broadcasts. [2] Azubuike was a four-year starter averaging 16.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game his senior year. He finished the season averaging 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds. Azubuike was the first call-up of the D-League season. Warriors vs. Pelicans injury report: So many absences for both teams. Wikipedia. and our 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. That remains to be seen. His then assistant coach Harry Coxsome and his wife Donna took care of him and soon became his legal guardians. What can the Knicks do for an encore after the thrilling h MLB's rule changes will only bring needless new degree of confusion, Yankees may get solution to to glut of infielders after NL teams' misfortune, The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, Amazin' But True: A NY Mets Baseball Podcast, Gangs All Here: A NY Jets Football Podcast, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave. Fitz and Buike will merely be repurposed to roles that better suit them.