Ime Udoka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ime Udoka

Udoka with the Boston Celtics in 2022
Houston Rockets
Head coach
Personal information
Born	(1977-08-09) August 9, 1977 (age 46) Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Nationality	American / Nigerian
High school	Jefferson (Portland, Oregon)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College	Utah State Eastern (1995–1997) San Francisco (1997–1998) Portland State (1999–2000)
NBA Draft	2000 / Undrafted
Pro career	2000–2012
Coaching career	2012–present
League	NBA
Career history
As player:
2000–2001	Fargo-Moorhead Beez
2001	Independiente
2002–2003	North Charleston Lowgators
2003	Adirondack Wildcats
2003–2004	Charleston Lowgators
2004	Los Angeles Lakers
2004	Charleston Lowgators
2004	Gran Canaria
2005	JA Vichy
2005–2006	Fort Worth Flyers
2006	New York Knicks
2006–2007	Portland Trail Blazers
2007–2009	San Antonio Spurs
2009–2010	Sacramento Kings
2010–2011	San Antonio Spurs
2012	UCAM Murcia
As coach:
2012–2019	San Antonio Spurs (assistant)
2019–2020	Philadelphia 76ers (assistant)
2020–2021	Brooklyn Nets (assistant)
2021–2022	Boston Celtics
2023–present	Houston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
As player: All-NBA D-League First Team (2006) All-NBDL Second Team (2004) Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award (2006) As assistant coach: NBA champion (2014)
Career NBA statistics
Points	1,635 (5.2 ppg)
Rebounds	926 (2.9 rpg)
Assists	308 (1.0 apg)
Medals Men's Basketball Representing  Nigeria African Championships Bronze 2005 Algeria Nigeria Bronze 2011 Madagascar Nigeria

Ime Sunday Udoka (/ˈiːmeɪ uːˈdoʊkə/ EE-may-_-ooh-DOH-kə; born August 9, 1977) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball coach and former player, who is the head coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in the United States, he represented the Nigeria national team during his playing career. After retiring as a player, Udoka served as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets before becoming the head coach of the Boston Celtics, whom he led to the 2022 NBA Finals. After being suspended for the 2022–23 season, Udoka was hired by the Rockets in April 2023.

Early life

Udoka was born in Portland, Oregon on August 9, 1977. He attended Portland's Jefferson High School.

College career

Udoka played for Utah State University Eastern and the University of San Francisco before transferring to Portland State University, where he starred for the Vikings.

Professional career

Fargo-Moorhead Beez (2000–2001)

After going undrafted in the 2000 NBA draft, Udoka started his professional basketball career by playing with Fargo-Moorhead Beez from 2000 to 2001.

Independiente (2001)

Udoka played with Independiente in 2001.

North Charleston Lowgators (2002–2003)

Udoka played with the North Charleston Lowgators from 2002 to 2003.

Adirondack Wildcats (2003)

Udoka played with the Adirondack Wildcats in 2003.

Charleston Lowgators (2003–2004)

Udoka with the San Antonio Spurs in 2010

Udoka played in the NBDL with the Charleston Lowgators, who drafted him with 39th overall pick in 2002 NBDL Draft.

Los Angeles Lakers (2004)

Udoka was called up to play with the Los Angeles Lakers on January 14, 2004, but was later waived.

Fort Worth Flyers (2005–2006)

After a stint in Europe, Udoka returned to the United States and once again drafted in NBDL. This time, he was drafted third overall by the Fort Worth Flyers in 2005 NBDL Draft. He averaged 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with the Flyers.

New York Knicks (2006)

On April 6, 2006, Udoka was signed by the New York Knicks, but was waived on September 11, 2006.

Portland Trail Blazers (2006–2007)

Udoka was the last player invited to his hometown Portland Trail Blazers' training camp before the 2006–07 season, getting the invitation only after Aaron Miles failed a physical. Despite the death of his father during the preseason, Udoka impressed the coaching staff with his defensive skills and made the team. After having played in only 12 NBA games in his career, Udoka started in 75 games played in the 2006–07 season. He played 28.6 minutes per game while averaging 8.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.9 steals.

San Antonio Spurs (2007–2009)

In 2007, Udoka signed a contract with the San Antonio Spurs. He played in 73 games averaging 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18 minutes. On his second season with the Spurs, Udoka played in 67 games, and started in three. He averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.4 minutes.

Following the 2009 season, Udoka became a free agent, eventually re-signing with the Trail Blazers. He was waived by the Blazers on October 22, 2009.

Sacramento Kings (2009–2010)

Udoka signed with the Sacramento Kings on November 4, 2009. He played 69 games with the Kings, averaging 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.7 minutes.

San Antonio Spurs (2010–2011)

On November 24, 2010, Udoka rejoined the Spurs, but he was waived on January 5, 2011 after playing only 20 games.

On December 15, 2011, Udoka signed with the New Jersey Nets. However, he was waived on December 23, 2011.

UCAM Murcia (2012)

In January 2012, Udoka signed with UCAM Murcia of the Spanish Liga ACB.

Coaching career

San Antonio Spurs (2012–2019)

In August 2012, Udoka joined the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach for Gregg Popovich. Udoka would win his first championship as the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals, 4–1.

Udoka was also the key for LaMarcus Aldridge's decision to join the Spurs in 2015. Both Udoka and Aldridge played together with the Trail Blazers during Aldridge's rookie season.

Philadelphia 76ers (2019–2020)

On June 26, 2019, Udoka was hired as an assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Udoka's head coach on the 76ers, Brett Brown, also coached under Gregg Popovich for the Spurs, and Udoka and Brown were on the same staff in the 2012–13 season.

Brooklyn Nets (2020–2021)

On October 30, 2020, the Brooklyn Nets hired Udoka as an assistant coach.

Boston Celtics (2021–2023)

Udoka in 2021

On June 28, 2021, Udoka was hired as head coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming the fifth head coach of African origin in franchise history. Although the Celtics began the season 18–21, Udoka led the team to a 51–31 record, finishing as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics won the Eastern Conference title and made their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010. However, the Celtics lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors.

On September 22, 2022, Udoka was suspended for the whole 2022–23 season for violations of team policies, pertaining to an improper intimate relationship with a female Celtics staff member. Although the relationship was initially believed by the organization to be consensual, the woman later accused Udoka of making unwanted comments towards her. He issued an apology after the suspension was handed out, but chose not to resign from his position as a result of the violation, though Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Udoka was not guaranteed to stay with the organization following the 2022–23 season. Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla took his place as the interim head coach. On February 16, 2023, Udoka's time with the Celtics came to an end when Mazzulla, who had led the Celtics to a league-best 42–17 record at the NBA All-Star break, was named the team's permanent head coach.

Houston Rockets (2023–present)

On April 25, 2023, Udoka was hired as head coach by the Houston Rockets. On December 2 at Crypto.com Arena, in a 97–107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Udoka was ejected for trash talking Lakers forward LeBron James.

National team career

Udoka was a player on the Nigerian national team. At the 2006 FIBA World Championships, he led Nigeria in scoring, assists, and steals. Udoka also played for Nigeria in the 2005 and 2011 FIBA Africa Championships, winning a bronze medal in both tournaments.

Udoka has served as an assistant coach for USA Basketball under his Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich. Udoka's coaching role on the 2019 FIBA World Cup team helped him build relationships with Celtics players Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, who advocated for his hiring as the new Celtics head coach. Udoka also coached for Team USA under Popovich at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, along with Celtics assistant Will Hardy.

Personal life

Udoka's father was of Nigerian descent, which qualified Udoka for Nigerian citizenship. His older sister, Mfon, played in the WNBA. Udoka's mother, who died in late 2011, was an American from Illinois.

In November 2011, Udoka's then-girlfriend, Nia Long, gave birth to their first child. The couple became engaged in May 2015, but they split in 2022 after his affair with a Celtics staff member came to light.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

See also

In Spanish: Ime Udoka para niños