Udoka Azubuike

On 22 April 2019, Azubuike announced he would return to Kansas for his senior season. According to KU coach Bill Self, “We’re all very excited about Udoka making the decision not to enter the [NBA] draft.” "Unfortunately for him, injury is the reason as he still cannot participate (at) what would be the NBA combine or workouts for the NBA teams."

Azubuike scored a career-high 29 points in a 90–84 overtime win over Dayton on 27 November 2019. On 22 February 2020, Azubuike scored 23 points and had a career-high 19 rebounds in a 64–61 win over top-ranked Baylor.

On 20 April 2018, Azubuike announced his intention to the 2018 NBA Draft. He did not initially hire an agent, which would allow him to return before the combine. Azubuike was one of a record-high 69 prospects invited to the NBA Draft Combine that year. On May 17, he measured out to be a near 7' tall center (with shoes on) weighing in at 274 pounds and holding the second-longest wingspan at 7'7", behind only Mohamed Bamba. On 30 May 2018, he announced his intent to withdraw from the draft and return to Kansas for his junior season.

Azubuike was selected as an honorable mention to the 2018–2019 All-Big 12 preseason team. On 4 December 2018, he severely sprained his right ankle against Wofford and missed the following four games. On 5 January 2019, Azubuike injured his wrist during practice. An MRI revealed he tore a ligament in his right hand. He underwent season-ending surgery on January 9, 2019.

For the 2017–2018 season, Kansas' coach Bill Self recruited Kansas football player James Sosinski to defend Azubuike during practice. Udoka started every game of the regular season but missed the Big 12 tournament after spraining his left MCL. He returned for the NCAA tournament until KU's loss to eventual champion Villanova in the Final Four. He averaged 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and led the nation with a 77% field goal percentage for the season. His field goal percentage broke the single-season record for Kansas and the Big 12 Conference. This high percentage was in part due to the majority of his field goals being slam dunks, which typically have a higher completion percentage than jump shots or layups. He had more dunks than any other college player going back to the 2009–2010 season. He was awarded All-Big 12 third team by the conference's coaches and second team by the AP.

Azubuike attended Potter's House Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida. His then assistant coach Harry Coxsome and his wife Donna took care of him and soon became his legal guardians. In his first high school game he was matched up against fellow future Kansas Jayhawk Joel Embiid. Azubuike was a four-year starter averaging 16.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game his senior year. Azubuike was selected to play in the 2016 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit. He was also a member of the National Honor Society.

He was rated by Rivals.com as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the 27th best overall player while ESPN ranked him 22nd overall in the Class of 2016. Azubuike received offers from many universities including Duke, Texas, Kentucky, and shortened his final list of colleges to Florida State, Kansas, and North Carolina. On 28 January 2016, he announced his choice to play college basketball at the University of Kansas.

Udoka Timothy Azubuike (/j uː ˈ d oʊ k ə ˌ æ z ə ˈ b uː k i / ; born 17 September 1999) is a Nigerian college basketball player for the Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12 Conference.