Its more about what sort of homer you are. 62. Azubuike (ankle) has been ruled out for Fridays game against the Clippers, Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. [6] Azubuike played with the Denver Nuggets in the 2006 Toshiba Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 16.4 points and finished tied at tenth in the league in scoring. [35] Azubuike averaged 13.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game as a senior. [6] Playing for Fort Worth of the Development League again, Azubuike averaged 5.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.17 steals, and a league-best 26.0 points in 37.7 minutes per contest, shooting 51.4% from the field and 48.5% from three-point range over twelve games. The couple recently made headlines after getting married earlier in October 2022. Warriors vs. Pelicans injury report: So many absences for both teams. Once they do that, then anything can happen.. [1] He is a Christian music fan and enjoys creating his own music. His father, Fabian, was a police officer, and his mother, Florence, was a middle school teacher. But most of us endure it. The Clippers' offer was matched by the Warriors on July 24, 2008, allowing Azubuike to remain a Warrior.[6]. Azubuike played 81 games in 2007-8 for the Dubs, averaging 8.5 points. Yet a specter haunts Chase Center (and other assorted arenas) on the sidelines: Festooned to the team like an albatross is the bewildering broadcasting tandem of Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike. They all but outright. Kelenna tells the story of Melo buying his jersey off him on the Knicks pic.twitter.com/mVUEl6LATm. Oops. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. He ferociously toes the company line, to an off-putting extent. Kelenna Azubuike is a professional basketball player currently working at NBC Sports Bay Area as the Golden State Warriors television analyst. He eagerly embraced the idea of working alongside play-by-play veteran Tim Roye on radio broadcasts. The season cant get here soon enough.. His presence will add a new dimension to our TV broadcasts and we are thrilled with the addition., Barnett said of Azubuike, I really mean this: Im so happy its Kelenna and not someone else. He currently handles San Francisco 49ers preseason broadcasts and served as the play-by-play voice for the Arena Football Leagues San Jose SaberCats, an organization which is now defunct. | March 25, 2022, 3:09 p.m. Udoka Azubuike underwent surgery on his injured right ankle and will miss the remainder of the regular season, the Utah Jazz announced Friday. Later, when Azubuike moved into broadcasting, one of his first calls was to Barnett. He went 4/4 from the field in that brief stint. Azubuike covered Warrior's games after he joined NBC Sports Bay Area in 2015. Clumsy jokes. Barnett, 75, has on numerous occasions worked with Roye on radio, usually in postseason games on national TV. [1] He eventually became an All-State selection, averaging 39.1 points and 13.3 rebounds and leading his team to the Class 4A State Championship Game as a senior. 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 said in a fake accent, as he and his partner chuckled. Seemed to work out alright., Azubuike asked, Are you saying there was some nepotism there? to which Fitzgerald said, Im just saying, if youre gonna give the money, might as well give it to your kid., Rivers continued to defend himself in his comment, writing, Do u know how many guys in league made more than me while not doing half as much?! Fifteen years ago today, Kelenna Azubuike made his Golden State Warriors debut in a win over the Charlotte Hornets. 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. Jim has been a fixture on our broadcast team for over three decades and has served as a comforting and trusted voice for our fans during several different eras of Warriors basketball, Welts said. Before I extol the virtues of this particular pair, I must say a few (hundred) words about the play-by-play man I hope to exile. He was our smile because it happened franchise player. On January 2, 2007, the Golden State Warriors signed Azubuike to shore up their injury-plagued backcourt. Many of us still feel a certain rawness about the semi-mysterious ouster of Barnett, a certain sadness that Davis left us for the Los Angeles Clippers after a 48-win season that was begging to be avenged. He's previously contributed to The New Yorker, Vice, GQ and more. Tim is a really good guy, and does a great job. (He's) the kind of athlete that we're trying to find for our team.". I think its fantastic that I can continue working for the Warriors, Barnett said Friday. [14] He returned for the NCAA tournament until KU's loss to eventual champion Villanova in the Final Four. The most notable thing Azubuike did as a Knick was sell his No. [4] Azubuike was the first Gatorade Call-Up of the 200607 NBA Development League season, and the 49th player overall to be called up to the NBA since the D-League began play in November 2001. Azubuike will miss a fourth consecutive game due to a right ankle sprain. A lingering knee injury has forced former Cat Kelenna Azubuike into an early retirement from basketball. The website cannot function properly without these cookies. [13] Udoka started every game of the regular season but missed the Big 12 tournament after spraining his left MCL. Early life. While his NBA career was cut short by a devastating freak injury less than three years later, a broadcasting career was born that night. "[31], Azubuike scored a career-high 29 points in a 9084 overtime win over Dayton on November 27, 2019. Fridays news ended lingering uncertainty about Barnetts future with the Warriors. [27] He underwent season-ending surgery on January 9, 2019. Hes found a workaround from being phased out, still plies his wisdom and his trademark avuncular wit on the radio side of things. [5] He was also the only player to ever earn Oklahomas Super 5 recognition three times, an honor bestowed upon the states top five players, regardless of classification. What ever happened to Kelenna Azubuike? And now Im going to work radio. Im excited to bring my personality to it and talk to fans about why things are happening. He got a big contract extension when, oh wait, his dad was the coach, said Fitzgerald. No NBA player has made a full recovery from this injury, it is much closer to an Achilles tear vs an ACL tear in severity. On January 17, while the Warriors' roster was depleted by an eight-player trade in progress, Azubuike played 48 minutes versus the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 28 points and collecting 7 rebounds. Azubuike appeared to suffer a dislocated ankle in a G League contest on March 10, his third right ankle injury in the past 13 months. Jan 22, 2021. Im looking forward to it.. Theres no one more deserving.. @ plays for the team . [1] While attending the University of Kentucky, Azubuike majored in business marketing. After finishing his junior season in college, Azubuike declared himself eligible for the 2005 NBA Draft, eventually going undrafted that year. [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 spent five years in the NBA (averaging 14.4 pts a game in 2008-2009) before he had to hang up his sneakers. Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously. Privacy Policy. Its fun.. Fitzgeralds homerism isnt the genuine, charming if sort of silly homerism of a drunk but passionate fan. Kelenna David Azubuike (born 16 December 1983)[1] is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player and currently the Golden State Warriors television analyst on NBC Sports Bay Area. Andre Iguodala might be free next season if he hasnt achieved his final form as an NFT. Azubuike was selected with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. Davis, despite his relatively short stint in the Bay Area, is very much beloved. This pairing does create one potential problem, though hardly an insurmountable one: instead of two hype-men, we may now be subject to a sensory overload of excellent anecdotes and play deconstructions, but no one to describe the action (which again, we can see with our eyes). [2] Playing for Victory Christian High School, Azubuike led his team to the state title as a sophomore. 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. Azubuike will receive a deal for the rest of this season and a team option for next season, sources said. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. And not to worry, Bob Fitzgerald wont be forcibly retired either. [3] On January 28, 2016, he announced his choice to play college basketball at the University of Kansas.[11]. 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. And Im grateful to the Warriors, to (co-owners) Joe Lacob and Peter Guber for giving me this opportunity. Something went wrong. Barnett fully expected to move into an ambassadors role with the team at the time. The fit is wrong. 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. He cannot believe they called that on him. And though Mr. Boom Dizzle opted out in 2008 and tried to start a super-team with Elton Brand in Los Angeles (weird sentence! But Kelena's an analyst for the Warriors local broadcast station now, offers some pretty good insight. Barnett will transition to radio, the team said as part of Fridays announcement. 7 off his back . You know, he might just be the perfect guy to take on the team ambassador role, whatever that means. The Bulls and the Warriors are the only teams to win at least 70 games in a single season. Well, that varies from player to player, and Kelenna Azubuike, former New York Knick, realized this the hard way when Carmelo Anthony joined his then team and wanted to take the No. Hes going to be good. He finished the season averaging 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds. Hell miss the rest of the 2021/22 season. He always comes equipped with the latest talking points from on high. He looked like a soccer player there., Then, Azubuike mocked Campazzos accent and said, How can you call this? [20] Since then, he has been assigned to announce 11 of the 19 NBA D-League games produced by NBA TV in 2016. 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). Endure it, and think what could have been, had the Warriors not put the universally beloved Jim Barnett out to pasture. Details on the contract were not disclosed. For sure unprofessional., The Golden State Warriors broadcasters need to honestly be stopped. Azubuike spent five years in the NBA (averaging 14.4 pts a game in 2008-2009) before he had to hang up his sneakers. On 9 April 2012, he was recalled by the Mavericks. The second-year center suffered a right ankle sprain earlier this month while on assignment with the G League affiliate Salt Lake City Stars. Golden State Warriors television broadcast announcers Bob Fitzgerald and Jim Barnett at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 31, 2019. You dont have to put on makeup.. Theres a better way to live. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Baron Davis joining Barnett as his commiserating-mate is an obvious choice on multiple levels. The best insights from the ultimate insiders, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Magic, Timberwolves players exchange punches during wild brawl, Ex-Knick calls out Ben Simmons practice tale, NBA guard fumes over ejection for phantom elbow. Draymond Green (left) is introduced by Warriors analyst Jim Barnett at a press conference held to announce the re-signing of Green at the Warriors team practice facility in Oakland, California, on Thursday, July 9, 2015. You know one of nicest things about working radio? Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. "We like him as a player," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told reporters in San Antonio on Friday morning following the team's shootaround. He is expected to practice with the Legends on Friday and could play for them as early as Saturday night against the Reno Bighorns at home, sources said. Im not really concerned about the difficulty of following Jim. Warriors TV announcers Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike targeted the Denver . He was not drafted, but played some preseason games for the Cleveland Cavaliers; he was waived at the end of the preseason and acquired by the Fort Worth Flyers. Azubuike takes the job at a fascinating point in Warriors history. During his career as a professional Basketball player, He played for various teams including Texas Legends, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, and Fort Worth Flyers. [1] His father, Fabian, was a police officer, and his mother, Florence, was a middle school teacher. Lets bring Azubuikes fellow We Believe luminary to the booth, too. Hed still be great, or at least pretty good in that role. When the Golden State Warriors are rolling, they're one of the leagues biggest draws. He shot nearly 50% from three-point range, something that Don Nelson really liked. Azubuike Emanuel Egwuekwe (born 16 July 1989) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Rivers United as a centre back. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. A possible solution to the pure play-by-play quandary is to bring a third person to the already star-studded booth. In his first year, Kelenna took home $251,000.Then in the following years, he earned $2.9 Million and $3.3 Million.In the 2010/11 season, Kelenna signed with New York Knicks for $3.3 Million. Hopefully roles where they can avoid unforced errors like impersonating Facundo Campazzos accent, but that remains to be seen. On March 25, 2022, Azubuike underwent right foot surgery and was ruled out for the rest of the 202122 season.[40]. 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. Rona Azubuike is the wife of former professional basketball player and sports analyst Kelenna Azubuike. [2] In his first high school game he was matched up against fellow future Kansas Jayhawk Joel Embiid. This site uses different types of cookies. This counts as a high-profile promotion for Azubuike, who has served as an analyst on Warriors Pregame and Postgame Live the past four years. Unlike past years, Lucia did not include any analysis and/or fan commentary with the rankings, so we don't know exactly what kind of gripes fans had against the work of Fitzgerald and Azubuike. He bridges eras and generations with absolute clarity. It seemed like he was going to progress into a solid player, and then poof a knee injury seems to end his career? [4][7], After going undrafted, Azubuike was signed by the Golden State Warriors on 2 January 2007. Azubuike accepted a personal invitation from Jakaya Kikwete, the President of Tanzania, to take part in Leon H. Sullivan Summit VIII, a five-day convention held from 2 to 6 June 2008 in Arusha, Tanzania.The convention brought together many of the world's political and business leaders to focus attention and . 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.
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