The name Xavier Henry may sound familiar because he’s been around the league trying to find his place. Beginning his career in Memphis, he then played for the New Orleans Hornets and signed on with the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles and the Lakers waived the swingman as he was rehabbing.
Soon enough, he may call the Bay Area “home.” The Warriors have reached agreements to bring Henry and Chris Udofia to the Warriors organization. In 2010, Henry was the 12th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He played under Coach John Callipari at the University of Kansas.
The other signing is a player who is returning from overseas. Udofia played in Israel last season with Elitzur Yavne. He attended the University of Denver and holds many of their all time records. Udofia is a 6-foot-6 forward known for his defensive play. With the signings, the Warriors look to bolster the SF position.
The details of the contracts were not released but the training camp roster now stands at 19. Henry and Udofia are slated to start in the D-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors and prove themselves worthy of a spot on the GS Warriors roster.
For more information, refer to the Warriors’ official press release:
WARRIORS SIGN XAVIER HENRY & CHRIS UDOFIA
Training Camp Roster Stands At 19 Players
OAKLAND, CA – The NBA Champion Golden State Warriors have signed free agent guard/forward Xavier (zah-vee-ay) Henry and free agent forward Chris Udofia to contracts, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not released.
Henry, 24, averaged 2.2 points and 9.6 minutes in nine games with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014-15 before suffering a ruptured left Achilles tendon in practice on November 24, 2014. In five NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies (2010-11), New Orleans Hornets (2011-13) and Lakers (2013-15), the 6’6” swingman holds career marks of 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 15.7 minutes over 185 games (23 starts). Henry was originally selected by the Grizzlies with the 12th overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft following his freshman season at the University of Kansas.
Udofia, 23, appeared in 28 games with Elitzur Yavne in Israel last season, compiling averages of 10.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.68 blocks in 27.8 minutes. The 6’6” forward played four seasons at the University of Denver, averaging 12.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.06 blocks, 1.14 steals and 29.5 minutes in 124 games (98 starts). Udofia, who finished his career as Denver’s all-time leader in blocks (256) and games played, was named the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-14 and the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in 2011-12.
Golden State’s training camp roster currently stands at 19 players.
For more information on the 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, visit warriors.com.