Celtics Head Coach: Who Is Ime Udoka?

Ime Sunday Udoka is an American-Nigerian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Born on August 9, 1977, In Portland, Oregon, Udoka attended Portland’s Jefferson High School, and represented the Nigeria national team during his playing 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.

Udoka was a player on the Nigerian national team. At the 2006 FIBA World Championships, Udoka led Nigeria in scoring, assists, and steals. He 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 Boston head coach.

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

Udoka’s father, who was of Akwa Ibom descent, was born in Nigeria and died in 2006, which qualified Udoka for Nigerian citizenship.

His older sister, Mfon, played in the WNBA. His 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, Kez Sunday Udoka. The couple became engaged in May 2015.

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