Burzis Kanga is the head tennis coach of the University of New Orleans and is also known as the ex-husband of Hoda Kotb. Kanga’s former wife, Hoda is a Broadcast Journalist known for her stint on NBC’s long-running news and morning show Today.
Over the years, Burzis has made a name for himself as the head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams at the University of New Orleans.
He’s been in the career of tennis since the early ’80s. Take a look back at all those years through the headings below. In motion, also know what went wrong between Kanga and the reporter’s union.
Burzis Kanga Ancestry And His Journey To Coaching Career
Burzis, the former partner and the first husband of Kotb is a native of New Orleans having lived there for more than 40 years.
While he is yet to disclose his family specifics, some sources claim he is the first-generation American child of Tanzanian parents. Also in the middle of nowhere is the numbers with respect to his birth date.
What has been mostly said, though, is Kanga is a former student of Collingswood, Sr High.
As mentioned, he now is the head tennis coach at the University of New Orleans Privateers. Whilst being the coach of the University of New Orleans tennis faculty, Kanga has developed a team that has a reputation for competing at a very high level on the court, in addition to achieving lofty goals in the classroom.
He joined the Privateers in Feb 2008. Burzis, however, originally started with the New Orleans tennis program back in the ’80s, as he was then a player of the Privateer from 1980-83. He, though, at the time was also a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business; the graduation year 1984.
Burzis Kanga As The Head Coach Of The University Of New Orleans Tennis Program
As for now, Burzis is entering his fourth year as head coach for the New Orleans Privateers.
In 2018-19, Kanga’s first term as a head mentor, he coached a pair of doubles teams to all-conference selections. Two from his teams, Samuel Armand and Johannes Klein got the honor at flight two while Nicolas Kramer and Odysseas Papaioannou shared the award at flight three.
On the women’s side, the Southerner has had four student-athletes eclipsed the 50-win mark for their careers since 2016: Soledad Calderon, Anna Segarra, Anja Luethi, and Trang Dao.
That season, Kanga guided the Privateers’ senior-laden team on the men’s side to a 10-10 overall record while coaching a Southland first-team doubles group in Rui Silva and Blake Gregor.
His Recent Season Stats
Kanga won his first Southland and LSWA Coach of the Year for the season 2020-21. This was after he led the women’s tennis team to a 12-3 record and a share of their first Southland regular-season championship.
The East-African-American also coached Newcomers of the Year on the men’s team (Marcel Volz) and the women’s team (Lina Hohnhold).
Under his tutelage, both sides of the Privateers, in 2020-21, had seven all-conference singles selections and two doubles selections.
Burzis Kanga Other Achievements
Before, New Orleans, Kanga used to coach at UNO from 1986-89 and again from 2003-06 before the program was put on hiatus due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
When he was a member of the UNO and was also playing for the New Orleans, Kanga amassed an 81-9 mark and became the only member of either UNO tennis team to achieve All-American honors. He was then a senior at college.
Again, during his time on the UNO team, he was the top player in Louisiana for the under-21 age group. He was also on the list of professional players for the satellite tennis circuits of the USA, Europe, and Mexico.
Kanga Relationship With His Ex-Wife, Hoda Kotb
Burzis was famously married to NBC’s Today spokesperson, Hoda Kotb from 2005 to 2007.
Kanga and Kotb met each other at an event for the American Heart Association on Valentine’s Day in New Orleans. At the time of their meeting, Hoda is of Egyptian ethnicity, was a news anchor for a local station in New Orleans. Kanga and Kotb dated on and off for years before tying the knot.
The tactician proposed to the broadcast journalist in May 2005. The same year, the couple tied the knot in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
The Reason Behind Their Divorce
Their marriage wouldn’t last forever with the anchor filing for divorce on February 15, 2007.
The former collegiate athlete later revealed he found the divorce thing quite shocking. In Jan 2018, with Radar Online, the Today show host’s ex-husband also told what ended their marriage.
“We had some differences. My father was ill. She was ill. It was a difficult time. Those were personal reasons for both of us,”
Kanga confessed.
He, however, didn’t disclose Kotb’s exact illness. Nonetheless, his wife later, herself, revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2007. When the television personality announced her breakup on-air, Hoda also revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Apparently, Kotb underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery for breast cancer in March 2007.
Kanga, on the other hand, explained, that divorce happened under difficult conditions. He added there were personal reasons for both of them. The New Orleans native additionally admitted how his level of immaturity was also the factor.
He expressed shame on his marriage ending so shortly and on the way it transpired. Kanga further said moving to New York from New Orleans to be with his ex-wife also put a strain on his and his ex-wife’s relationship. For him the big apple was overwhelming.
Burzis Kanga And Hoda Kobt After The Divorce; Did Burzis Remarry?
While Kanga was “surprised” upon his wife filing for the divorce, he had only good things to say about his ex-wife.
The Cajuns said he will always cherish the time when they were together. He also referred to her as the epitome of class. Burzis and Hoda officially separated on February 6, 2008.
After the divorce, the correspondent, Hoda started a relationship in 2013 with New York financier Joel Schiffman. Though, this relationship of the West Virginia native didn’t last forever either after Kotb and Schiffman split in Jan 2022. Kanga’s ex is now the mother of two adoptive daughters.
As for Hoda’s bygone husband, the answer to whether he has remarried or not is a bit of a mystery given that he is not that mobile on social networking communities.
Though intriguing enough is the fact that there lies a Facebook handle by his name that states Burzis being in a relationship since September 7, 2021.
The coach, however, is yet to address the actuality himself.
Burzis Kanga Net Worth
While the daughter of Egyptian parents, Hoda Kotb is one of the biggest paid personalities in the reporting and hosting world, if not the highest, the numbers rest up to imaginations and guesswork when it is about her former husband’s fortune.
The Gracie Award winner’s salary reportedly is in the region of over $8million on top of a net worth sitting at around $30million.
On the other, Kotb’s ex-spouse may have been active in one of the most lucrative sports since the early ’80s, Kanga, however, never benefited big in terms of money; at least according to the general sources.
The Louisiana resident, nonetheless, could still be a millionaire by a significant possibility – again considering his four decades-long and counting time period in tennis.
Other Facts
- Kanga-coached student-athletes have received All-Louisiana honors since 2009 on ten occasions. This includes the 2009 Newcomer of the Year (Kozue Matsumoto), the 2011 Freshman of the Year (Hossam Meligy), and the 2013 Newcomer of the Year (Rui Silva).
- In 2013-14, the now 50-something-year-old mentor coached two All-Conference selections in Soledad Calderon Arroyo and Marta Sans. The former garnered All-Southland Second Team mention in singles and doubles while the latter achieved All-Southland Second Team doubles honors.
- From 1989-2006, Kanga was the Director of Tennis and Head Teaching Professional of Chateau Golf and Country Club in Kenner.
- Burzis is also a long-time Board Member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.
- He additionally served as the Sports Commissioner for Tennis for the 1996 AAU Junior Olympic Games.
- The former partner of the Peabody winner holds United States Tennis Association Professional 1 certification.
- Burzis was in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit the state of Louisiana in late 2005. The disaster flooded his apartment.
- Unlike his ex-wife, Kotb who has Muslim roots, Kanga hasn’t mentioned what religion he follows.
