Basketball: Ime Udoka, Nigerian pioneer in the NBA
Ime Udoka during a game against the Golden State Warriors, March 16, 2022. Getty Images via AFP - LACHLAN CUNNINGHAM
Text by: Michaël Oliveira Da Costa
7 mins
Appointed coach of the legendary Boston Celtics franchise at the start of the season, the Nigerian Ime Udoka has become the first African technician to take the reins of an NBA team.
Leading the boat with a masterful hand - the Celtics are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference - the former player has a most original career, and is a new example that the best league in the world is opening up more and more. more to the talents from the African continent, on and at the edges of the floors.
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July 28, 2021. Boston Celtics Practice Facility.
After several weeks of prospecting, and applications from some successful coaches in the league, including Mark Jackson (ex Golden State Warriors) and Alvin Gentry (ex Los Angeles Lakers), the management of the legendary green clover franchise is making history. : it will be the Nigerian Ime Udoka who will occupy the position of main coach of this institution to the 17 titles of NBA champions.
A key figure in African basketball
Ime Udoka thus becomes the very first coach from the continent to take the reins of a team in the North American league.
“
When I received the green light from management, and was told that I would be the first to become the main technician of a team in the best league in the world, my first thought was for my parents. , for my country, and the people of Nigeria.
It was a shock in a way, but I knew I was ready for this challenge
”, he still remembers today, all smiles.
A key figure in African basketball, he was an NBA player between 2004 and 2010 with the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs, Udoka is also a globetrotter of the orange ball.
Passed through Argentina, Canada, France (Vichy in 2005) and Spain, Udoka has had a winding journey to his current position, and his success is the result of many sacrifices.
“
I went through a lot of hardships, not being paid for example, through moments of doubt, of loneliness.
It was really very, very trying
, ”he says, he who found salvation on the edges of the field, despite the instability of the position of assistant coach until last year.
"
It's my
'Nigerian warrior' side
which allowed me to move forward, to continue to fight.
The assistant coaches are the first fuses to jump in the teams, even if the main coach remains in place, our position can be replaced at any time.
But I knew deep down that I had something to succeed in this business, and I kept fighting.
My African blood will never make me give up, never.
I have no right to give up, because I am also aware that this kind of position is extremely rare for an African technician.
I have no right to miss myself
”.
Nigerian legend, on and off the court
Long before young Nigerian talents Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors), Chimeze Metu (Sacramento Kings) and Josh Okogie (Minnesota Timberwolves) took the hearts of their compatriots, Ime Udoka blazed a trail for an entire generation, being a first a legend of the national team.
With five AfroBasket contests (two bronze medals in 2005 and 2011), he was also the leader of his team at the 2006 World Cup in Japan.
A true idol in Nigeria, Udoka always wears the green and white colors at heart.
And this international experience with the D'Tigers (note: the nickname of the Nigerian men's national basketball team), helped him open his first door in coaching, on the side of the San Antonio Spurs, in 2012.
“
Gregg Popovich and the Spurs have always had this culture, this openness to the international
, he specifies,
and while the team had guys like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, the franchise also wanted to open up to the talents that could bring on the edges of the field.
So I had a huge opportunity to show myself, and to prove to the best coach in history that I could do this job.
Coach Popovich is a mentor for me, I owe him everything
”.
After 7 seasons with San Antonio and an NBA championship title in 2014, Udoka joined the Philadelphia Sixers, then the Brooklyn Nets at the express request of Canadian Steve Nash, chief technician of the New York team.
During the summers, he gives his time for basketball camps in Nigeria, but also on the staff of the United States team, alongside Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich and NBA stars.
“
This kind of experience is just crazy.
I worked with all the greats during these stints with Team USA, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and I was able to win an Olympic title in 2020 with the team
, ”
he explains.
While having another objective in mind in the future, namely:
Help the Nigerian selection to win titles, and to reach the podium at the Olympics for example
.
»
However, he says he has never been contacted by the federation of his country.
Since the beginning of the 2021-2022 fiscal year, one of his dreams has come true and he has taken the next step, and having the reins of one of the most competitive teams in the NBA, the Boston Celtics.
Rising to the challenge Celtics
On the Massachusetts side, the challenge is daunting, but Udoka has fulfilled his mission brilliantly for the moment.
With a record of 45 wins and 28 losses, Boston is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, just one victory behind third place, occupied by the defending champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.
“
The Celtics are a hell of a piece to start your coaching career
(laughs)!
It's like recovering a position as head coach of Manchester United, it's a legendary team in our sport.
But I'm cut out for this kind of challenge, and after a few first months of setting up our principles of play, we're finally running at our best speed, at the best time with the playoffs looming on the horizon.
says Udoka.
The Nigerian is ambitious, and does not hide it: "
We can go far, and there was the example of Nick Nurse, who was champion with the Toronto Raptors during his first season at the head of the team in 2017. It would be great if history repeated itself!
he smiles.
The 44-year-old technician also knows that he is closely scrutinized, all over the African continent, and lives this experience as a mission.
“
It is a huge pride to represent Nigeria and to be a pioneer, and I want to show all Africans that it is possible, that you can coach at the highest level of world basketball.
If I managed to do it, it's because the door opened.
I seized the opportunity and I prove that Africa has talent at all levels
”, he announces.
Before adding: “
There are already a lot of African assistant coaches in the league, like Patrick Mutombo
(DR Congo, Toronto Raptors),
Jama Mahlela
(Eswatini, Golden State Warriors),
and Amadou M'Bodji
(Senegal, Chicago Bulls)
who are very important in their respective teams.
They will have opportunities to take the lead in the near future, I am sure.
But beyond my example alone, it helps to create vocations, and it is my dearest wish for African talents: we can become coaches, too.
»
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