Former KU basketball center Udoka Azubuike signs two-way NBA contract with new team
Former Kansas men’s basketball center Udoka Azubuike, who played for the Boston Celtics in the 2023 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, has agreed on a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns, ESPN reported on Monday night.
Priority Sports agents Zach Kurti and Mark Bartelstein confirmed the news to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Azubuike, a 6-foot-11, 270-pound, 23-year-old big man who played at KU from 2016 to 2020, was selected by Utah in the first round of the 2020 draft. He played his first three seasons in the league with the Jazz.
The Jazz elected to not exercise his $3.92 million fourth-year rookie option for 2023-24 thus making him a free agent.
With the Celtics in summer league, he hit 18 baskets in 22 attempts for a sizzling 81.8% mark. He averaged 7.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in five games.
Azubuike dealt with ankle injuries in his three seasons in Utah. He played in 36 games (four starts) in 2022-23, averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds a game. He hit 81.9% of his shots. Overall in three years he averaged 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He hit 76.9% of his shots.
Azubuike played in 68 total games and started 10 with the Jazz.
Azubuike and guard Saben Lee will fill two of the Suns’ three two-way contracts. Azubuike will be the fifth center on the Suns roster (with Deandre Ayton — who could play against the current KU players this summer — Drew Eubanks, Bol Bol and Chimezie Metu).
The two-way deal means he’ll also play in games in the G League. The Suns recently announced they will bring back to Phoenix a G League team for the 2024-25 season. The Suns’ G League team moved to Detroit in 2020.
It is unclear which G League team Azubuike would play for in 2023-24 to go with appearances with the Suns.
