Azubuike Undergoes Ankle Surgery, Done For Season
Mar 25, 2022, 4:13 PM
Utah Jazz center Udoka Azubuike (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz have announced that center Udoka Azubuike has undergone season-ending ankle surgery.
The second-year center suffered an ankle injury on March 10 while playing with the Salt Lake City Stars, his first game with the Jazz G League affiliate this season.
“Udoka Azubuike underwent successful surgery today to repair multiple ankle and foot ligaments in his right foot to stabilize the Subtalar joint,” the team tweeted. “Azubuike will be out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.”
Udoka Azubuike underwent successful surgery today to repair multiple ankle and foot ligaments in his right foot to stabilize the Subtalar joint. Azubuike will be out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. https://t.co/CG3G3LUAJR
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 25, 2022
Azubuike has seen an almost unheard-of streak of bad injury luck while playing for the G League affiliate Salt Lake City Stars.
The big man was assigned to the roster on Thursday before facing the Texas Legends as the Jazz were in San Antonio to face the Spurs on Friday.
This is the third time Azubuike has suffered a serious ankle injury with the team despite appearing in just eight cames with the Stars over the last two seasons.
Azubuike’s first injury came in his G-League debut in February of 2021 as the big man suffered a gruesome ankle sprain that kept him out for several months during his rookie season.
Last November, Azubuike suffered another serious ankle injury during the Stars game against the Stockton Kings that sidelined him through January.
Udoka Azubuike left last night’s @slcstars game in the fourth with an ankle injury and is being evaluated today.
He was able to walk off under his own power.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 11, 2022
“You’re crushed,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of the injury. “I think everybody in our locker room, our staff felt that. You can imagine how he must feel.”
The Jazz drafted Azubuike with the 27th overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft. Azubuike has career averages of 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 70 percent from the floor in 32 career games.
The center was coming off the best month of his career in February when he averaged 9.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in six appearances, including five starts as the Jazz battled with injuries to Rudy Gobert.
