What is Ime Udoka's ethnicity? Looking at cultural roots of Rockets' coach

Ime Udoka has been a polarizing figure for the past year. On the basketball court, he is hailed as one of the smartest coaches in today's NBA but on the outside, his off-court issues are catching up and tarnishing the good winning name he is building.

In his short stint with the Boston Celtics, Udoka has led the team to a 51-win season and an NBA Finals appearance in 2022. Because of his infidelity scandal, the Celtics were forced to cut ties with him and make Joe Mazulla interim coach.

Looking back at Ime Udoka and his roots, his father was of Nigerian descent. Through this, he is qualified to have Nigerian citizenship. His late mother is an American and hailed from Illinois.

He has a sister, Mfon, and she played in the WNBA namely for the Detroit Shock, Houston Comets, and Los Angeles Sparks from 1998-2004. She played for the Nigerian national team in the 2004 Summer Olympics which became the first African team to ever win at the Olympics. Like Ime, she pursued a career in coaching and is now the assistant coach of the Nigerian basketball team.

Ime Udoka has an 11-year-old son with his ex-girlfriend, Nia Long. The couple split up after the infidelity issue broke out on the news.

Nia Long files for full custody of her son with Ime Udoka one year after the cheating scandal

It has been a year since Ime Udoka was fired from his position as head coach of the Boston Celtics. He has now been hired by the Houston Rockets to lead the team this upcoming 2023-24 NBA season with the additions of Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet.

Udoka is still battling issues off the court, with his ex-girlfriend filing for full custody of their 11-year-old son.

In the midst of Udoka's infidelity issue, Nia Long bared that no one in the Boston Celtics franchise reached out to check on her.

It was hard for Long to see her son's face when the private situation was made public by the Celtics organization.

“It was devastating and it still is,” Long said in December “He still has moments where it’s not easy for him. If you’re in the business of protecting women — I’m sorry, no one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK. It’s very disappointing.”

Since then, Long focused on picking the pieces up by spending time with her family and being a mother to her children.