Who Is Nia Long's Partner Ime Udoka? Net Worth And Career Insights

Ime Udoka is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player who currently serves as the assistant coach for the NBA team Brooklyn Nets. He represented the Nigerian national basketball team during his playing career.

He has had a decent career as a basketball player and has a notable career as a basketball team’s assistant coach. 

Let’s find out more about him!

Who Is Ime Udoka? Height, & Family Details

Ime Udoka was born on 9 August 1977 in Portland, Oregon, USA. His father, Vitalis Udoka, who is of Akwa Ibom descent, was born in Nigeria, which qualified him for Nigerian citizenship. His mother, who passed away in late 2011, was an American from Illinois. He has an older sister, Mfon, who is a former WNBA player.

Talking about his educational background, he attended Jefferson High School in Portland. He began his college career at Utah State Eastern and then played one season at San Francisco. He later transferred to Portland State University.

The 1.98 m tall Ime averaged 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in his senior season with the Vikings during his time at Portland State University.

Udoka was hired as an assistant coach for San Antonio Spurs before the season 2012-13. The Spurs got notable good results from his coaching, which made various basketball personalities give him praise. Udoka then went to Philadelphia 76ers for the same staffing position. 

He continued to become a big name in the coaching field of basketball. Before his time in 76ers, Udoka is a seven-year veteran assistant coach from his coaching career in the Spurs. He has again shifted his assistant coaching work in the Brooklyn Nets.

Ime Udoka Engaged To Long-Time Girlfriend Nia Long

Ime Udoka has been dating his long-time girlfriend, Nia Long, since 2010. They welcomed a son named Kez Sunday Udoka in November 2011. They got engaged in 2015, but it doesn’t seem that they will marry anytime soon.

Though there was no announcement of the pair being engaged, we can see them as like an open book. Long was recently spotted out with Udoka, wearing a diamond in her finger, which needed no more explanation.

Ime Udoka with his girlfriend, Nia Long, and two kids (©: AmoMama)

The couple welcomed their first child together way back in 2011. Besides being the father of Kez, Ime is also a co-parent to Nia’s son, Massai Zhivago Dorsey II, from her previous relationship with Massai Z. Dorsey.

In 2020’s Essence’s Yes, Girl! Podcast, Nia opened up about her opinion of marriage. She reveals that she is not a fan of marriage. Following that, she also expressed her confusion about why she has to say ‘I do’ to prove her love.

 Nevertheless, in her previous appearance on the podcast in 2012, she said, “Marriage is not a priority for me. I’m not saying I’ll never do it; It’s just not where we are as a family.”

Net Worth Of Ime Udoka, And His Career

Ime Udoka spending most of his career in the basketball field, has amassed a lump sum of wealth with an estimated net worth of $11.5 million. 

His all-time earned NBA salary is $3.9 million ($4.7 million*) as a basketball player from season 2006/07 to 2010/11. His salary in 2006/07 season for Portland Blazers was $744,551 ($945,998*), in 2007/08 and 2008/09 season for San Antonio Spurs, he earned over $1 million ($2.5 million*); it dropped to $838,034 ($1 million*) in 2009/10 season for Sacramento Kings which further decreased to $264,232 ($312,519*) in 2010/11 season for San Antonio Spurs.

He has been named to the All-NBA D-League First Team in 2004 and received the league’s Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award in 2006. He played for the Nigerian National basketball team in multiple tournaments, including the 2005 African Championship and the 2011 African Championship, where he helped lead Nigeria to a bronze medal.

Udoka started his professional career by playing in the NBDL with Charleston Lowgators, who drafted him with the 39th overall pick in the 2002 NBDL Draft.

 On 14 January 2004, he was called up to play for the Los Angeles Lakers but was later waived. 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 with an average of 8.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.9 steals.

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. Udoka briefly signed with the TrailBlazers in the 2009 season, later being waived by them, and on 9 November 2009, he signed with the Sacramento Kings. He played 69 games with the Kings, averaging 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.7 minutes. Ime 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.

In August 2012, he joined the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach. Udoka won his first championship with the Spurs in the 2014 NBA after defeating Miami Heat 4-1. After his seven-year time in the Spurs, Ime agreed to become Brett Brown’s lead assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers for season 2019-20. Later on 30 October 2020, he was hired by the Brooklyn Nets as an assistant coach.

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