Ime Udoka

Udoka with the Houston Rockets in 2024
Houston Rockets
Position	Head coach
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1977-08-09) August 9, 1977 (age 47) Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Nationality	American / Nigerian
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	Jefferson (Portland, Oregon)
College	Utah State Eastern (1995–1997) San Francisco (1997–1998) Portland State (1999–2000)
NBA draft	2000: undrafted
Playing career	2000–2012
Position	Small forward
Number	5, 8, 3
Coaching career	2012–present
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)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Men's Basketball Representing  Nigeria African Championships 2005 Algeria Nigeria 2011 Madagascar Nigeria Olympic Games Assistant coach for the  United States 2020 Tokyo Team

Ime Sunday Udoka (/ˈiːmeɪ uːˈdoʊkə/ EE-may ooh-DOH-kə;^[1] 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 Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022–23 season for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a Celtics female employee, he was hired by the Rockets in April 2023.

Ime Udoka was born in Portland, Oregon on August 9, 1977, to Vitalis and Agnes Udoka. His father moved to the U.S. from Nigeria in 1970, and his mother was an American from Illinois. Udoka attended Portland's Jefferson High School.^[2]

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.^[3]

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

Udoka played with Independiente in 2001.

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

Udoka played with the Adirondack Wildcats in 2003.

Udoka played in the NBDL with the Charleston Lowgators, who drafted him with 39th overall pick in 2002 NBDL Draft.^[4]

On January 14, 2004, Udoka signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.^[5]

After a stint in Europe, which included a brief summer contract with Žalgiris Kaunas, Lithuanian champions and Euroleague participants, Udoka returned to the United States and was once again drafted in NBDL. This time, he was drafted third overall by the Fort Worth Flyers in the 2005 NBDL Draft.^[6] Udoka averaged 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with the Flyers.^[7]

On April 6, 2006, Udoka signed with the New York Knicks. He appeared in eight games, averaging 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.3 minutes.^[8] Udoka was waived on September 11.

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,^[9] Udoka impressed the coaching staff with his defensive skills and made the team.^{[citation needed]}

After having played in only 12 NBA games in his career, Udoka started all 75 games he played in during the 2006–07 season. He played 28.6 minutes per game while averaging 8.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.9 steals.^[8]

In 2007, Udoka signed with the San Antonio Spurs.^[7][10] He played in 73 games, averaging 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18 minutes.^[8]

In his second season with the Spurs, Udoka played in 67 games and started in three, averaging 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.4 minutes.^[8]

After the 2009 season, Udoka became a free agent and eventually re-signed with the Trail Blazers on September 25, 2009.^[11] However, he was waived on October 22.^[12][13]

On November 4, 2009, Udoka signed with the Sacramento Kings.^[14] He played in 69 games and started in two, averaging 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.7 minutes.^[8]

On November 24, 2010, Udoka re-signed with the Spurs.^[15] However, he was waived on January 5, 2011, after playing in 20 games and averaging only 0.7 points and 0.9 rebounds in 6.5 minutes.^[16]

On December 15, 2011, Udoka signed with the New Jersey Nets.^[17] However, he was waived on December 23 and did not appear in any games.^[18]

On January 5, 2012, Udoka signed with UCAM Murcia of the Spanish Liga ACB.^[19]

On August 28, 2012, the San Antonio Spurs hired Udoka as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich.^[20] Udoka won his first championship when the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in five games during the 2014 NBA Finals.^[21] Udoka was also the key for LaMarcus Aldridge's decision to join the Spurs in 2015 as they were teammates on the Portland Trail Blazers during Aldridge's rookie season.^[22]

On June 26, 2019, Udoka was hired as an assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.^[23] His head coach on the 76ers at the time, Brett Brown, also coached under Gregg Popovich for the Spurs, and both Udoka and Brown were on the same staff in the 2012–13 season.^[24]

On October 30, 2020, the Brooklyn Nets hired Udoka as an assistant coach.^[25]

On June 23, 2021, it was reported that the Boston Celtics had hired Udoka as their head coach, replacing Brad Stevens, who was promoted to President of Basketball Operations earlier that month.^[26][27][28] The hiring became official five days later.^[29][30][31] Stevens later stated that he hired Udoka as his own replacement as head coach since Udoka had "a great approachability."^[32] He became the franchise's sixth African-American head coach, as well as the first head coach of African origin in NBA history.^[33]

Although the Celtics began the 2021–22 season with an 18–21 record, they began a turnaround in January and finished as the #2-seed in the Eastern Conference with a 51–31 record.^[34][35][36] During the turnaround, Udoka earned two Eastern Conference Coach of the Month awards, one in February and another for March and April.^[37][38] During the playoffs, the Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round and then went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.^[39][40] The Celtics went on to defeat the Miami Heat in seven games during the Eastern Conference Finals to make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010.^[41][42] However, the Celtics lost the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors in six games despite a 2–1 lead.^[43][44]

On September 22, 2022, the Celtics suspended Udoka for the entire 2022–23 season for violating team policies.^[45][46] He was disciplined for engaging in an improper intimate relationship with a female staff member.^[47][48] Although the Celtics initially believed the relationship was consensual, the woman later accused Udoka of making unwanted comments towards her.^[49][50] He issued an apology after being suspended, but Udoka chose not to resign from his position due to the violation.^[51][52][53] Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla replaced Udoka as interim head coach.^[54]

On February 16, 2023, Mazzulla was named the team's permanent head coach after leading the Celtics to a league-best 42–17 record at the NBA All-Star break, signaling the end of Udoka's tenure in Boston.^[55][56][57]

On April 25, 2023, Udoka was hired as head coach of the Houston Rockets.^[1]

Udoka was named Western Conference Coach of the Month in March after the Rockets won 13 of their 15 games that month.^[58][59] In his first season with the team, the Rockets finished with a 41–41 record and barely missed the playoffs.^[60][61]

Udoka was a player on the Nigerian national team. At the 2006 FIBA World Championships, he led Nigeria in scoring, assists, and steals.^[33] Udoka also played for Nigeria in the 2005 and 2011 FIBA Africa Championships, winning a bronze medal in both tournaments.^[62]

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.^[63] Udoka also coached for Team USA under Popovich at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, along with Celtics assistant Will Hardy.^[64]

Udoka's father, Vitalis, was of Nigerian descent,^[9] which qualified Udoka for Nigerian citizenship. His older sister, Mfon, played in the WNBA. Udoka's mother, Agnes, who died in late 2011, was an American from Illinois.^[65]

In February 2010, Udoka met actress Nia Long and they later began a relationship.^[66] On November 7, 2011, Long gave birth to their first child, a son named Kez Sunday.^[67] Udoka and Long got engaged in May 2015,^[68][69][70] but they split in December 2022, a few months after Udoka's affair with a female Celtics staff member came to light.^[71]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ime Udoka.

• Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference