What Is Ime Udoka's Net Worth and Salary?
Ime Udoka is a Nigerian-American NBA coach and former basketball player who has a net worth of $8 million. Ime Udoka played small forward as a journeyman but is best known as the head coach of the Boston Celtics.
NBA Salary & Career Earnings
During his NBA career, Udoka earned a little under $4 million in total salary. His highest-paid seasons were 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, when he earned $1 million in both years.
Head Coaching Salary
As head coach of the Boston Celtics, Udoka makes $5 million per year under a 4-year contract. This was roughly confirmed during his child support case in the wake of his breakup with Nia Long. In that case, filings showed that Ime earned roughly $400,000 per month. That would work out to around $4.8 million per year.
Early Life
Ime Sunday Udoka was born on August 9, 1977, in Portland, Oregon. He attended Portland's Jefferson High School and enrolled at the University of San Francisco before transferring to Portland State University. There, he played for the Portland State Vikings and led the team in scoring.
Playing Career
After going undrafted in the 2000 NBA Draft, Udoka played for the IBA's Fargo-Moorhead Beez from 2000-01 and Argentina's Independiente in 2001. In 2002, he joined the NBA D-League with the North Charleston Lowgators, who took him with the 39th pick in the 2002 NBDL Draft. Ime made his NBA debut in 2003 with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing in four games with them. Over the next few years, he made multiple appearances in the D-League and overseas before returning to the NBA when he joined the New York Knicks in the 2005-06 season. The following year, he joined the Portland Trailblazers, where he started in 75 games and averaged 8.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. In 2007, Udoka signed with the San Antonio Spurs and played in 140 games over two seasons, usually coming off the bench in a supporting role. In 2009-10, Ime played with the Sacramento Kings; he returned to the Spurs in 2010-11, his final season in the NBA. He played one more year in 2012 as a member of UCAM Murcia.
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Coaching
In August 2012, Udoka was hired as an assistant coach to Gregg Popovich on the San Antonio Spurs staff. He won his first championship when the Spurs beat the Miami Heat 4 games to 1 in the 2014 NBA Finals. In 2019, Ime joined the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant head coach before the Brooklyn Nets hired him away for the same role in their organization.
Boston Celtics
On June 28, 2021, Udoka was hired as head coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming just the fifth head coach of African origin in the team's history. After starting the season off at 18-21, the team rallied under his leadership to a record of 51-31 and made their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010. The Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Controversy
An ESPN report on September 21, 2022, came out alleging that Udoka violated a Boston Celtics organizational policy and stated that punishment was being planned. It was later revealed that Ime had engaged in an intimate and improper relationship with a female staff member. The organization handed down a season-long suspension keeping him off the court for the 2022-23 season. Udoka issued an apology but refused to resign from his position.
Personal Life & Child Support Payment
Udoka was able to acquire Nigerian citizenship thanks to his late father, Vitalis. His mother, who passed away in 2011, was an American from Illinois. Ime was in a relationship with actress Nia Long from 2011 to 2022. She gave birth to their first child, Kez Sunday Udoka, in November 2011. The couple got engaged in May 2015, but they ultimately never married. They broke up in late 2022 after it was revealed that Ime had an affair with a Celtics staff member. Their child support case filings revealed that in an average month, Ime makes around $400,000, whereas Nia makes around $20,000. Ime agreed to pay Nia $32,500 per month to support their child. They agreed to share custody, and a year earlier, she purchased a $3.6 million home for herself in Los Angeles.
