Ime Udoka is a 43-year-old basketball coach and ex-player. He played 316 games for Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs. He was an active contributor for 7 seasons with the Spurs as an assistant coach, including the 2014 NBA season when the team won the championship.
He is currently Boston Celtics‘ head coach. But he is not the first black coach in franchise history. Bill Russell was appointed player-coach and became the first Black head coach of the NBA in 1966. NBA experts consider him as one of the brightest young coaches in the United States. It is expected that he will have a long and successful career in National Basketball Association.
Ime Udoka – playing career
Ime Udoka played seven seasons in NBA, he was a well-respected player in the league, but he was never considered a star.
His best season was 2006-2007, where he played 75 games for Portland Trail Blazers and averaged 8.4 points per game together with 3.1 rebounds.
In his seven seasons in the NBA, he scored 1635 points and appeared in two playoffs but never won a championship.
He represented the Nigeria National Basketball Team throughout his career. At the 2006 FIBA World Championship, he was the team leader in every statistical category (points, rebounds, assists, and steals). The Nigerian National Team finished the competition 14th, after upsetting the third place in their group.
Ime also played in Spain and France which are considered as top European basketball leagues.
Ime Udoka – Assistant coach
In 2012, Gregg Popovich gave him his first NBA job with the Spurs where Udoka stayed till the end of the 2018-2019 season.
Next year Udoka joined Philadelphia 76ers coaching staff as one of the top young assistants in the league. He rejoined Brett Brown with whom he worked in San Antonio.
In 2020 Steve Nash called him to help him with Brooklyn Nets and their superstar roster.
Ime Udoka stayed there only two years because, after the turbulent season, Boston Celtics were looking for a new head coach.
He was an assistant coach of the USA National team during the summer of 2018 and 2019.
Ime Udoka – Boston Celtics
The Celtics have a new coach, rookie coach, and different coach. Ime Udoka is not a big name in the public eye, but he does have a very good reputation within the internal league scene. The players wanted him, and it’s crucial that they are led by someone whose message they are willing to follow.
NBA sources say that Celtics players Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Jayson Tatum, who played for the United States during the Udoka assistant tenure, were all for him because he is not afraid of coaching starts in the league.
Udoka is well known for handling star players, guys like Brooklyn Nets Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Joel Embiid in 76ers. Udoka also coached a young Kawhi Leonard with the San Antonio. He will try to teach Boston’s young prospects how to reach all-star levels.
Everyone who knows Ime defines him as a great personality, marked by his strong defensive presence. He was a calm player, with a friendly character but with a lot of energy, and he did not shy away from challenges, even if they were very physical.
For his part, Brad Stevens(now General manager and ex-coach of the team) finally gets one of the pieces of those 2014 Spurs that he admired. After transferring Kemba Walker and signing his successor, Stevens has started his new role with two bold moves.
Udoka debuted in a demanding place where everyone expects new banners. Boston has had great years under Brad Stevens, but after an irregular season, the Celtics want to return to the elite of the NBA, which is the goal they entrust to a rookie coach.
Ime Udoka – 2022 NBA Finals
Udoka’s first season in charge of the Boston Celtics was a bit of a rollercoaster. The team didn’t seem to buy into his idea early in the season, constantly underperforming and letting big leads slip right through their fingers.
There were rumors about a potential roster overhaul with Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown leaving town, but the front office decided to keep their core together and give them another chance to thrive. That wound un being the right call.
The Celtics turned the corner in December and became the best defensive team in the league. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown balled out and carried the team towards the final stretch of the season and all the way into the playoffs.
Boston capitalized on their momentum by sweeping Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Then, they got back at the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round before beating the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics made it back to the NBA Finals for the first time in over a decade. They even led the Golden State Warriors 2-1 after stealing Game 1 at Chase Center and looked poised to win their league-leading 18th NBA championship.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t hold on to that lead and dropped three straight games to lose the NBA Finals in six games. Even so, the future under Ime Udoka seems bright after reaching the ultimate stage in his first season at the helm. The players seem to love him and vice versa, and their physical, gritty defense has been outstanding.
Celtics history
Boston Celtics is an NBA basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. With its 16 championships, it is the most winning franchise in NBA history. Thanks to the role of Bill Russell, they won eight consecutive titles from 1959 to 1966.
In the 1980s NBA, led by Larry Bird, there was a huge rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, with Magic Johnson as the leading star, marking the beginning of the NBA as a world premiere show. Boston and New York Knicks are the only two founding NBA teams to remain in the same city.
Famous players and coaches
Boston Celtics had two of the top players from basketball history, Bill Russell and Larry Bird. But the list of the players who changed the face of franchise history and NBA, in general, is long and includes names like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Jo Jo White, Tom Heinsohn, Bill Walton, and Dennis Johnson, just to name few.
Red Auerbach is the most prominent coaching name in Boston history. Only Phil Jackson has more rings than this gentleman. As a trainer of the Celtics, he was the champion 9 times between 1957 and 1966.
Who is Ime Udoka’s wife?
Nia Long is Ime Udoka’s wife. This famous actress played Will Smith’s girlfriend-turned-fiancée on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and starred in films like “Boyz n the Hood,” “Soul Food” and “The Best Man.”
She gave birth to Kez Udoka in November 2011. The couple started dating in 2010 and has been seen together several times in public events.
In May 2015, the two married in a secret ceremony attended by their closest friends and parents. His older sister Mfon played in WNBA. He has a daughter Kez Sunday Udoka.
Where did Ime Udoka go to college?
Udoka attended Jefferson High School in Portland and the University of San Francisco before transferring to Portland State University. Udoka, a small forward, played for the Vikings during three seasons.
Udoka was an All-Big Sky Conference player and Big Sky Newcomer of the Year for the Portland state in 1999-2000. The 6-6 forward averaged 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 steals during that year.
After his college career, he started his professional career with the NBDL with the Charleston Lowgators, who drafted him with the 39th overall pick in 2002. Udoka was also the last player invited to his hometown’s 2005–06 Portland Trail Blazers training camp.
Where is Ime Udoka from originally?
Udoka was born into a family of Udoka with mixed ancestry. His dad, descent from Africa, was allowed to gain Nigerian citizenship in his early years. Also, his mom was an American from Chicago who died in late 2011. Ime was raised by her sister Mfon.
How old is Ime Udoka?
Udoka was born on 9 August 1977 in Portland, Oregon. This past summer, he celebrated his 43. birthday.
How much does Ime Udoka make?
Forbes & Business Insider has estimated that the net worth Ime Udoka is valued at is around $11.5 million.
In his first season in Boston, he should earn about 4 million dollars.
