Ime Udoka Becomes The First Nigerian Head Coach In NBA History
Nigerian-American former professional basketball player Ime Sunday Udoka, popularly known simply as Ime Udoka has broken even, history and set a new record as he becomes the first ever Nigerian to attain the position of the Head Coach of the National Basketball Association NBA, the professional basketball league in North America.
Ime Udoka, who was until his new appointment, the Assistant Coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, was taken through the rigorous selection process alongside Milwaukee’s Darvin Ham and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chauncey Billups and many others, and came out successful.
Following the process as overseen by the Celtics President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, Ime Udoka will be stepping into his first position as the 18th Head Coach after nine years as an Assistant. He was initially hired by the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 and spent seven years coaching under Gregg Popovich before he was poached by the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the 2019-20 season. Udoka joined Steve Nash and the Nets last offseason and helped coach Brooklyn’s star-studded squad.
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Ime Udoka, who is a Portland native, had spent his final collegiate season at Portland State University, where he averaged 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Charleston Lowgators of the NBDL (now the G-League) selected him with the 39th pick in the NBDL draft, and he was called up to play for the Lakers in 2004. The 26-year-old was waived after just four games. His late father was born in Nigeria, which qualified Ime Udoka for Nigerian citizenship. He played for the Nigerian men’s basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championships and after leaving Portland State, he created an endowment for an annual scholarship given to both a business student and a basketball player in honor of his father.
