Who is Burzis Kanga?
Burzis Kanga was born in 1962 in the USA, but has kept the exact date and place of his birth hidden from the media – his zodiac sign is said to be Capricorn and he holds American nationality. He is a tennis coach, but perhaps known best for being the ex-husband of the famous Egyptian-American journalist and author Hoda Kotb.
Early life and education
Burzis was raised in the US alongside his siblings by his father who was a soccer coach, and his mother who worked as a manager of a local supermarket.
Posted by University Sports Program on Monday, December 12, 2016
Burzis became interested in tennis at a very early age, and practiced it nearly every day while attending elementary school, where he was also interested in basketball, and played for the school’s team. He continued being sporting at a local high school, however, Burzis was urged by his parents to pursue a college degree, and so went on to graduate from a university with a Bachelor of Science Business degree in 1984.
Career as a coach
Before venturing into coaching, Burzis played tennis for the University of New Orleans as well as for professional tennis teams competing in leagues in Europe, the US and Mexico.
From 1986 to ‘89 he coached at the University of New Orleans, and returned in 2003 – four years later, he was invited to serve as the head coach of Lakefront but had to take some time off after his divorce which had a big impact on him. Since 2011, he has been coaching the team New Orleans Privateers.
Love life and ex-wife Hoda Kotb
Burzis is very secretive regarding his love life, especially since his divorce from Hoda Kotb. The two allegedly met in 2004 when introduced by a mutual friend, and married in a private ceremony in 2005, attended by their closest friends and family – after three years they divorced for unknown reasons.
Since 2013, Hoda has been in a relationship with Joel Schiffman, a financier from New York, and they became engaged on 25 November 2019 – in early 2017, Hoda adopted the baby girl Haley Joy, and adopted another girl Hope Catherine in April 2019.
Burzis hasn’t talked about any women he might have been with before or after Hoda, and has been staying away from the media’s attention since the divorce. As of November 2020, he is single, was once married and doesn’t have children.
Hobbies and other interests
Burzis has been into sports since a very early age, and even today occasionally plays various sports with his friends such as soccer, football and basketball – he was once very active at the gym having several training sessions each week, but today only goes to the gym once or twice a week.
He was very keen on travelling, and has visited many US states as well as countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, however, it appears that Burzis has mostly enjoyed staying at home for the last decade.
He is a lover of animals and has a pet dog, while his favorite ‘animals’ are dolphins.
In his spare time, he is keen on watching sports movies based on true events, such as the 1980 “Raging Bull”, the 2005 “Cinderella Man”, and the 1957 “Fear Strikes Out”.
Age, height and net worth
Burzis is around 58 years old. He has short gray hair and brown eyes, his height is 5ft 10ins (1.78m) and he weighs around 160lbs (72kgs). As of November 2020, his net worth has been estimated at over $1 million, while Hoda’s net worth is reputedly over $30 million.
Who is Hoda Kotb?
Hoda Kotb was born in Norman, Oklahoma USA, on 9 August 1964 – her zodiac sign is Leo and she holds American and Egyptian nationality. She is perhaps known best for serving as the main anchor of the NBC News show “Today”.
Hoda was raised alongside her brother Adel and sister Hara by their Egyptian parents Sameha and Abdel Kader Kotb. She spent most of her early life in Morgantown in West Virginia, while she also lived with her family in Egypt and in Nigeria. Hoda’s father, a fossil energy specialist, died in 1986 aged 51. Hoda attended Fort Hunt High School in Virginia, and upon matriculation in 1982 was elected homecoming queen. She went on to study at Virginia Tech, at which she was a member of the women’s sorority Delta Delta Delta.
She graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism, and then launched her career by working for the network WXVT headquartered in Greenville in Mississippi.
From 1989 to 1991, Hoda served as the weekend anchor of WINK, and from 1992 to 1998 worked as an anchor and reporter at WWL. She gained recognition in April 1998 when she began working for NBC News, and in September 2007 she was chosen to serve as the host of the morning show “Today”.
She is also an author who released her first book, an autobiography “Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee” in October 2010, and her second book came out on 15 January 2013, entitled “Ten Years Later: Six People Who Faced Adversity and Transformed Their Lives”. Her third book “Where They Belong: The Best Decisions People Almost Never Made” was released in 2016, followed by two other books in the next two years.
Her sixth book came out in October 2019 entitled “I Really Needed This Today”, and her seventh book “This Just Speaks To Me” in October 2020. Hoda has also written two children’s books – “I’ve Loved You Since Forever” and “You Are my Happy”.
In early 2007, Hoda found out she had breast cancer, and in March of the same year underwent surgery which was successful. She allowed the “Today” cameras to follow her around during her battle against cancer, and Hoda is today an advocate for breast cancer awareness.