Udoka Azubuike – 10 quick facts about the basketball star drafted into the NBA
When the National Basketball Association (NBA) released the 2020 NBA draft on Wednesday November 18, 2020, which had the names of eight basketball players of Nigerian origin, selected into the elite league from the college level, it further encouraged young Nigerians who have been considering a permanent move out of the country in search of better opportunities.
On the list is Udoka Azubuike, the son of a former police officer who left the country for the United States after his father’s death.
Here are 10 quick facts to know about Azubuike.
- He started as a football player
Azubuike took interest in soccer while growing up until he watched a video of Michael Jordan and got inspired to switch to basketball.
“I was 11 or 12 back then. My brother is the one that had the video tape. We didn’t have, like, internet back then,” Azubuike told ESPN.
“I just started having love for the game, just seeing Jordan and the air just fly [by]. In my mind, I’m like, ‘That’s pretty cool. I think I can do that.'”
2. Moved to the U.S at age 13
The 21-year-old basketball star moved to the U.S. in 2013 at age 13, and settled in Jacksonville, Florida.
3. Son of a Police Officer and a school teacher
The youngest of five children, Azubuike grew up in Delta state. His father was a Police Officer and his mother, a school teacher.
4. Discovered through the Basketball Without Borders program.
Before his move to the U.S, Azubuike had caught the attention of high school recruiters at a Basketball Without Borders camp in Nigeria. One of them placed a call to the head coach of Potter’s House Christian Academy in Jacksonville, and Azubuike’s size alone was reason enough to offer him a spot in the programme.
5. He never experienced basketball until age 13
He was a soccer player until he was 11, Azubuike had never experienced high-level basketball until he arrived in the United States in 2013.
6. Biggest Accomplishment so far
Azubuike will say that one of his biggest accomplishments was making the National Honor Society at PHCA, an achievement that earned him a special tassel for his graduation day cap.
7. One of the most physically imposing college players in the U.S
Listed at 280 pounds, in 2018, the Bleacher Report described Azubuike as one of the most physically imposing players in all of college basketball in the U.S.
8. His mother watched him play basketball for the first time in 2018
He played for the first time in front of his mother in March 2018 when his Kansas University basketball team faced Villanova in the national semifinal game. His mother watched him score eight points and grab five rebounds in 26 minutes on the court.
9. He may never return to Nigeria
In a 2018 interview, Azubuike says he may never return to Nigeria. “My journey, my life and everything I’m trying to do isn’t in Nigeria anymore,” Azubuike told the Bleacher Report. “I don’t see anything over there for me.
“My life is here now. This is where I feel at home.”
10. He will be playing for Utah Jazz
Named Defensive Player of the Year 2020 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, Azubuike will be playing for Utah Jazz in the NBA.
