Ime Udoka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ime Udoka

Udoka with the Houston Rockets in 2024
Houston Rockets
Head coach
Personal information
Born	(1977-08-09) August 9, 1977 (age 47) 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)
2021–2023	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 Olympic Games Assistant coach for the  United States Gold 2020 Tokyo Team

Ime Sunday Udoka (born August 9, 1977) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball coach. He is currently the head coach for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before becoming a coach, he played basketball for many years. He also represented the Nigeria national team as a player.

After his playing career, Udoka became an assistant coach for teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets. He then became the head coach of the Boston Celtics and led them to the 2022 NBA Finals. In April 2023, he was hired by the Rockets.

Early Life and College Basketball

Ime Udoka was born in Portland, Oregon on August 9, 1977. His father, Vitalis, moved to the U.S. from Nigeria in 1970. His mother, Agnes, was from Illinois. Ime went to Jefferson High School in Portland.

After high school, Udoka played college basketball. He played for Utah State University Eastern and the University of San Francisco. Later, he transferred to Portland State University, where he was a star player for the Vikings.

Professional Playing Career

Ime Udoka started his professional basketball journey in 2000. He played for several teams in different leagues.

Early Teams and NBA Debut

Udoka was not chosen in the 2000 NBA draft. He began his career with the Fargo-Moorhead Beez from 2000 to 2001. He also played for Independiente in 2001. From 2002 to 2004, he played in the NBDL for the North Charleston Lowgators and Charleston Lowgators.

In January 2004, Udoka signed a short contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. This was his first time playing in the NBA.

Time in Europe and Return to the NBA

After playing in Europe for a bit, Udoka returned to the U.S. He played for the Fort Worth Flyers in the NBDL from 2005 to 2006. He averaged 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with the Flyers.

In April 2006, Udoka signed with the New York Knicks. He played in eight games for them.

Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers

Udoka joined his hometown team, the Portland Trail Blazers, for the 2006–07 season. He impressed the coaches with his defense. He started all 75 games he played that season. He averaged 8.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Playing for the San Antonio Spurs

In 2007, Udoka signed with the San Antonio Spurs. He played in 73 games in his first season with them. He averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds. In his second season with the Spurs, he played in 67 games.

Udoka in 2010

Udoka later returned to the Spurs for the 2010–11 season. He played in 20 games before being waived.

Other NBA Teams and Final Playing Years

After leaving the Trail Blazers in 2009, Udoka signed with the Sacramento Kings. He played in 69 games for them during the 2009–10 season.

In December 2011, Udoka signed with the New Jersey Nets, but he did not play in any games for them. His last professional playing team was UCAM Murcia in Spain in 2012.

Coaching Career Highlights

After his playing career ended, Ime Udoka became a successful basketball coach.

Assistant Coach for the San Antonio Spurs

On August 28, 2012, the San Antonio Spurs hired Udoka as an assistant coach. He worked under the famous coach Gregg Popovich. Udoka won his first championship as a coach when the Spurs won the 2014 NBA Finals.

Assistant Coach for Other Teams

Udoka continued his coaching journey as an assistant. In June 2019, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach. In October 2020, he became an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets.

Head Coach for the Boston Celtics

Udoka in 2021

On June 23, 2021, Ime Udoka was hired as the head coach of the Boston Celtics. He was the first head coach of African origin in NBA history.

Udoka in 2022

The Celtics started the 2021–22 season with a tough record. However, they improved greatly and finished as the second-best team in their conference. Udoka won two Coach of the Month awards during this turnaround. In the playoffs, the Celtics played very well. They reached the 2022 NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. However, they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

For the 2022–23 season, the Celtics suspended Udoka for violating team rules. Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla took over as interim head coach. In February 2023, Mazzulla became the permanent head coach, ending Udoka's time with the Celtics.

Head Coach for the Houston Rockets

On April 25, 2023, Udoka was hired as the head coach of the Houston Rockets.

2023–24 Season

In his first season with the Rockets, Udoka was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for March 2024. The Rockets won 13 of their 15 games that month. The team finished the season with a 41–41 record, just missing the playoffs.

2024–25 Season

Udoka was named Western Conference Coach of the Month again in January 2025. The Rockets won 11 of their 15 games that month. The team finished the season with a 52–30 record. They won the Southwest Division title for the first time in six years. They were the second-best team in the Western Conference for the playoffs. However, the Rockets lost to the Warriors in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

2025–26 Season

On June 19, 2025, Udoka signed a new contract to continue coaching the Rockets for several more years.

National Team Career

Ime Udoka played for the Nigerian national team. In the 2006 FIBA World Championships, he was the top scorer for Nigeria. He also led the team in assists and steals. Udoka helped Nigeria win bronze medals in the 2005 and 2011 FIBA Africa Championships.

Udoka also served as an assistant coach for USA Basketball. He worked under Gregg Popovich, his former coach with the Spurs. Udoka coached for Team USA at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where the team won a gold medal.

Personal Life

Ime Udoka's father was from Nigeria, which allowed Ime to have Nigerian citizenship. His older sister, Mfon, also played professional basketball in the WNBA.

In February 2010, Udoka met actress Nia Long. They had a son named Kez Sunday in November 2011. They were engaged in May 2015 but later separated in December 2022.

See also

In Spanish: Ime Udoka para niños