Kelenna Azubuike
From Hoopedia
Kelenna David Azubuike (born December 16, 1983 in London, England, UK) is an English professional basketball player who currently plays for the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
Playing Career
Azubuike attended Victory Christian School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, where he was recruited by then-University of Kentucky coach Tubby Smith. In his junior year playing for the Kentucky Wildcats he averaged 15 points per game.
He entered the 2005 NBA Draft after his junior year because his Nigerian-born father went to prison on fraud charges, and he had to support his family. He was not drafted, but he played some preseason games for the Cleveland Cavaliers; he was waived at the end of the preseason and acquired by the Fort Worth Flyers. He excelled in his first season in the D-League. He was an All D-League player while leading his team to the championship, which they lost to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.
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. He returned to the Fort Worth Flyers, where he averaged 26 points and 5 rebounds, while leading the D-League in scoring and ranking third in three-point field goal percentage.
On January 2, 2007, the Golden State Warriors signed Azubuike to shore up their injury-plagued backcourt. Details on the contract are not yet known. Warriors head coach Don Nelson joked that he didn't know that he was signing Azubuike, claiming that he was called by Warriors general manager Chris Mullin, who asked if he liked sambuca and when he replied "yes", Mullin signed Azubuike. On January 17, while the Warriors' roster was depleted by an eight-player trade in progress, Azubuike played 48 minutes versus the L.A. Clippers, scored 28 points, and collected 7 rebounds. As of April 9, 2007, Azubuike averages 7.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while logging 17.7 minutes per game.
