Former KU Jayhawks center Udoka Azubuike of the Utah Jazz has season-ending surgery
Former University of Kansas center Udoka Azubuike of the NBA’s Utah Jazz had season-ending surgery on his oft-injured right ankle on Friday, the team reported on its official website.
Azubuike, 7-foot, 270 pounds from Lagos, Nigeria, suffered the third injury to his right ankle in the past 13 months on March 10 while playing in a game for the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.
“Azubuike underwent successful surgery today to repair multiple ankle and foot ligaments in his right foot to stabilize the subtalar joint. The surgery was performed in Indianapolis by foot and ankle specialist Dr. David Porter in consultation with Jazz team physician Dr. Travis Maak. Azubuike will be out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season,” the Jazz reported in a news release Friday.
Here’s the history of his right ankle problems, as chronicled by the Salt Lake Tribune.
The 22-year-old Azubuike landed on a player’s foot after going up for a hook shot while playing for the G League Stars in a game against the Erie Bayhawks on Feb. 10, 2021 in the G League’s bubble in Florida.
Azubuike had to be carried off the court, but did not need surgery, just time and months of rehab to heal his severe ankle sprain.
Azubuike, a first-round pick of the Jazz in the 2020 NBA Draft, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, “was injured again on Nov. 26, 2021, while once again on assignment with the Stars. This time, against the Stockton Kings, he went up to challenge a shot with 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter and landed awkwardly, causing his right leg to buckle. He was later diagnosed with a subluxation of the right ankle — in effect, a dislocation in which the bone temporarily pops out of joint. The injury kept him out until Jan. 5 of this year, when he made a shock start in Denver, with both Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside ruled out. He played 15:36 in his return to action, while having to fend off reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.”
In a six-game stretch between Feb. 2-14, Azubuike averaged 9.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks a game. For the season, he averaged 4.7 points (on 75.5% shooting) and 4.2 rebounds a game.
He appeared in 15 games as a rookie last season, totaling 57 minutes.
“You’re crushed and everyone in our locker room and our staff felt that,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder told the Deseret News on March 11 after learning of the Azubuike injury. “You can imagine how he must feel. It’s just gut-wrenching for him. It has a big impact on our team,” Snyder added.
Azubuike is known for his all-out hustle and competitiveness.
“You’re going to mess up, it’s going to happen,” Jazz forward Donovan Mitchell told the Deseret News. “But the thing about Dok is that he messes up at 125%. We all love that. He’s fighting and competing. When you see a guy fighting and clawing, I’m not going to lie, he was the trendsetter for us with that,” Mitchell added.
He averaged 13.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a game in 31 games during his senior season (2019-20) at Kansas. He earned Big 12 player of the year honors.
The Jayhawks went 28-3 overall and 17-1 in the Big 12 his senior season, one in which the NCAA Tournament was called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
