Име Удока: Путь баскетболиста и тренера

American basketball player and coach (born 1977)

Ime Sunday Udoka ('/iː//m//eɪ// //uː/'/d//oʊ//k//ə/ EEmay oohDOHkə;

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.

After going undrafted in the 2000 NBA draft, Udoka started his professional basketball career by playing with Fargo Moorhead Beez from 2000 to 2001.

Udoka played with Independiente in 2001.

Udoka played with the North Charleston Lowgators from 2002 to 2003.

Udoka played with the Adirondack Wildcats in 2003.

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

Udoka was called up to play with the Los Angeles Lakers on January 14, 2004, but was later waived.

After a stint in Europe, which included during the summer a brief contract with Žalgiris Kaunas, Lithuanian champions and Euroleague participants, Udoka returned to the United States and once again drafted in NBDL. This time, he was drafted third overall by the Fort Worth Flyers in 2005 NBDL Draft. Udoka averaged 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with the Flyers. 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 in 75 games played in the 2006–07 season. He played 28.6 minutes per game while averaging 8.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.9 steals.

In 2007, Udoka signed a contract 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.

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, 2009.

Udoka signed with the Sacramento Kings on November 4, 2009. He played in 69 games with the Kings, averaging 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.7 minutes.

On November 24, 2010, Udoka rejoined the Spurs, but was waived on January 5, 2011, after playing in only 20 games.

On December 15, 2011, Udoka signed with the New Jersey Nets. However, he was waived on December 23.

In January 2012, Udoka signed with UCAM Murcia of the Spanish Liga ACB.

In August 2012, Udoka joined the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach for Gregg Popovich. Udoka won his first championship as the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals, 4–1. Udoka was also the key for LaMarcus Aldridge's decision to join the Spurs in 2015. Both Udoka and Aldridge played together with the Portland Trail Blazers during Aldridge's rookie season.

On June 26, 2019, Udoka was hired as an assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Udoka's head coach on the 76ers at the time, Brett Brown, also coached under Gregg Popovich for the Spurs, and Udoka and Brown were on the same staff in the 2012–13 season.

On October 30, 2020, the Brooklyn Nets hired Udoka as an assistant coach.

On June 28, 2021, Udoka was hired as head coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming the franchise's sixth Black head coach, as well as the first head coach of African origin in league history. Although the Celtics began the 2021–22 season with an 18–21 record, they began a turnaround in January and finished as the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 51–31 record. The Celtics won the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat and made their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010 but lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors despite a 2–1 lead. On September 22, 2022, the Celtics suspended Udoka for the whole 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 chose not to resign from his position due to the violation. Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla replaced Udoka as the interim head coach. On February 16, 2023, Udoka's time with the Celtics ended when 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.

On April 25, 2023, Udoka was hired as head coach of the Houston Rockets. In his first season with the team, the Rockets finished with a 41–41 record and missed out on the playoffs.

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