Ime Udoka

Ime Sunday Udoka (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.

Early life
Ime 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.

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

Los Angeles Lakers (2004)
On January 14, 2004, Udoka signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Fort Worth Flyers (2005–2006)
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. Udoka averaged 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with the Flyers.

New York Knicks (2006)
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. Udoka 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 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.

San Antonio Spurs (2007–2009)
In 2007, Udoka signed with the San Antonio Spurs. He played in 73 games, averaging 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18 minutes.

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.

Return to Portland (2009)
After the 2009 season, Udoka became a free agent and eventually re-signed with the Trail Blazers on September 25, 2009. However, he was waived on October 22.

Sacramento Kings (2009–2010)
On November 4, 2009, Udoka signed with the Sacramento Kings. He played in 69 games and started in two, averaging 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.7 minutes.

Return to San Antonio (2010–2011)
On November 24, 2010, Udoka re-signed with the Spurs. 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.

New Jersey Nets (2011)
On December 15, 2011, Udoka signed with the New Jersey Nets. However, he was waived on December 23 and did not appear in any games.

UCAM Murcia (2012)
On January 5, 2012, Udoka signed with UCAM Murcia of the Spanish Liga ACB.

San Antonio Spurs (2012–2019)
On August 28, 2012, the San Antonio Spurs hired Udoka as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich. Udoka won his first championship when the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in five games during the 2014 NBA Finals. 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.

Philadelphia 76ers (2019–2020)
On June 26, 2019, Udoka was hired as an assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. 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.

Brooklyn Nets (2020–2021)
On October 30, 2020, the Brooklyn Nets hired Udoka as an assistant coach.

2021–22 season
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. The hiring became official five days later. Stevens later stated that he hired Udoka as his own replacement as head coach since Udoka had "a great approachability." He became the franchise's sixth African-American head coach, as well as the first head coach of African origin in NBA history.

Although the Celtics began the 2021–22 season with an 18–21 record, they began a turnaround in January and ended up finishing as the #2-seed in the Eastern Conference with a 51–31 record. Udoka earned two Eastern Conference Coach of the Month awards during the turnaround, one in February and another for March and April. In the playoffs, the Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets during the first round and then went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games during the Eastern Conference Semifinals. 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. However, the Celtics lost the 2022 NBA Finals the Golden State Warriors in six games despite a 2–1 lead.

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

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.

2023–24 season
On April 25, 2023, Udoka was hired as head coach of the Houston Rockets.

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

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, Vitalis, was of Nigerian descent, 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.

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