Ime Udoka’s father helped him acquire Nigerian citizenship, which later influenced his international basketball career.
Alperen Sengun is yet another talented player who has made his way to the NBA. However, head coach Ime Udoka says the young Houston Rockets center needs to evolve in various ways.
Highlights
- Ime Udoka was born to his father, Vitalis Udoka, and his mother, Agnes Udoka. Vitalis passed away due to a heart attack, and Agnes passed away due to cancer.
- He grew up playing basketball with his sisters, Mfon Udoka and James Udoka.
- Udoka is American from his mother’s side and Nigerian from his father’s.
Initially, Udoka revealed that his primary advice for the 22-year-old Turkish player is to play more intensely. Udoka advised,
“My biggest thing with him is that I say, ‘Take the European style out of your game. Play with more intensity. Stop crying,'”
Ime Udoka
Indeed, Alperen is viewed as a younger version of Nikola Jokic, possessing a skill set emphasizing fitness over brute strength.
In this context, Udoka shared his requests for his players during games, most of which involve being more physical. Udoka emphasized,
“Continue to be a physical presence on both ends of the court,” “Focus on the things you can control, such as looking to score rather than seeking fouls, playing through contact without waiting for a call, and not letting missed shots affect your performance on the other end of the court.”
Ime Udoka
Finally, the head coach commented on the Rockets’ victory against the Los Angeles Clippers. Ime Udoka praised Sengun’s ability to find passes and free up his teammates for shots.
However, he also highlighted that the center needs to be capable of contributing to scoring, as he left the court with 11 points. He concluded,
“They attacked him every time he was in the post tonight, and he found his teammates. That’s why we got so many open shots. Some nights will be about scoring; others will be about facilitating. He needs to be able to do both,”
Ime Udoka
Basketball Player And Coach Ime Udoka’s Parents Has Passed Away
The Houston Rockets coach, Ime Udoka, 47, was born on August 9, 1977, to his father, Vitalis Udoka, and his mother, Agnes Udoka.
His parents first met in Portland and married in 1975. Udoka’s father, Vitalis, was born on November 12, 1946, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Vitalis was a businessman, medical expert, and pharmacist. He loved basketball but couldn’t afford cable, so the Udokas settled for mostly listening to the Trail Blazers on the radio.
He had two strikes against him in the ’70s workforce: he was an immigrant and was Black. He was willing to work hard but remained stubborn about how his employer treated him.
Ime explained that his father couldn’t keep a steady job because he wouldn’t let people discriminate or talk to him a certain way. He admires his father for taking a stand.
Sadly, his father passed away in 2006 at 60 after suffering a massive heart attack.
On the other hand, his mother, Agnes, was born in Ottawa on November 18, 1946, to her father, Gene, and her mother, Agnes Snell. She was the oldest of three children.
Agnes graduated from Illinois State University and moved to Portland in 1973. She worked as a teacher and for U.S. Bank for over twenty years.
She spent most of her time watching her children’s basketball games, loved history and art, and collected “Peanuts” memorabilia.
Sadly, Agnes passed away in her Portland home on December 8, 2011, at 65, after a battle with cancer.
Ime Udoka Grew Up In A Nigerian-American Family
Born in Portland, Oregon, to an American mother and a Nigerian father, Ime’s upbringing was a cultural fusion.
While his mother, Agnes, initially held from Illinois, his father, Vitalis, came to the United States in 1970 from Nigeria.
Ime was immersed in the American way of life growing up, but his father ensured he never lost touch with his Nigerian heritage. Thus, he is Nigerian-American by ethnicity.
Udoka spent his childhood with his sister Mfona and brother James. Mfona, 48, is also a notable figure in women’s basketball.
She had a successful career in the NWBL and WNBA, where she played for the Detroit Shock, Houston Comets, and the Los Angeles Sparks.
Her basketball journey includes representing Nigeria internationally at the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece.
She will start her college coaching career as the women’s basketball head coach at Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida, for the 2024-25 season.
On the other hand, Ime and James attended the same school and got along well.
They played basketball through high school, earned an academic scholarship to Oregon State, and grew up playing against each other.
Additional Information
- Ime Udoka has an estimated net worth of around $9 million as of 2024.
- He played for the Nigerian national team and led Nigeria in scoring, assists, and steals at the 2006 FIBA World Championships.
- He was engaged to actress Nia Long in May 2015 and had one son named Kez Sunday. But they split in December 2022, after Udoka’s affair with a female Celtics staff member came to light.
