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Ekpe Udoh

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Ekpe Udoh
Udoh with the Bucks in 2012.
Atlanta Hawks
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1987-05-20) May 20, 1987 (age 37)
Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S.
NationalityNigerian / American
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolEdmond Santa Fe
(Edmond, Oklahoma)
College
NBA draft2010: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career2010–2023
PositionCenter / power forward
Number5, 13, 20, 33
Coaching career2023–present
Career history
As player:
2010–2012Golden State Warriors
2011–2012Bnei Herzliya
2012–2014Milwaukee Bucks
2014–2015Los Angeles Clippers
2015–2017Fenerbahçe
2017–2019Utah Jazz
2019–2020Beijing Ducks
2020–2021Beijing Royal Fighters
2021–2022Virtus Bologna
2022–2023Shimane Susanoo Magic
2023Kyoto Hannaryz
As coach:
2023–presentAtlanta Hawks (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points1,353 (3.5 ppg)
Rebounds1,100 (2.9 rpg)
Assists260 (0.7 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Ekpedeme Friday "Ekpe" Udoh (/ɛˈpeɪ ˈjuːdoʊ/ eh-PAY OO-doh;[1] born May 20, 1987) is a Nigerian-American[2] professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and the Baylor Bears. In the 2010 NBA draft, he was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the sixth overall pick.

With a 7'4 1⁄2" wingspan, Udoh was the Big 12 Conference's leading shot blocker during the 2009–10 season.[3][4] He led the conference in his only season at Baylor (2009–10), after transferring from Michigan where, as a sophomore for the 2007–08 Michigan Wolverines, he led the Big Ten Conference in blocked shots with 2.9 per game (92 blocks total) in 2007–08.[5] A two−time All-EuroLeague Team selection, Udoh led Fenerbahçe to a EuroLeague title in 2017, earning the EuroLeague Final Four MVP award in the process.

Udoh was selected for the senior Nigerian national team for both the 2019 FIBA World Cup and the 2020 Olympic Games.[6]

College career

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Udoh played three seasons of college basketball, two at Michigan and one at Baylor, averaging 8.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.8 blocks per game in 103 career games. In 2009–10, Udoh earned honorable mention All-American honors by the Associated Press, as well as being named to the All-Big 12 second team, Big 12 All-Defensive team, Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Big 12 All-Rookie team, USBWA All-District VII team and NABC Division I All-District 8 second team.[5]

On April 13, 2010, he declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.[7]

Professional career

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Golden State Warriors (2010–2012)

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Udoh was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. Because of a wrist injury,[8] Udoh did not make his NBA debut until December 11, 2010, against the Miami Heat in the final three minutes of the game, scoring two points.

Bnei Herzliya (2011)

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On November 21, 2011, Udoh signed with Bnei Herzliya of Israel for the duration of the NBA lockout.[9] In December 2011, he returned to the Warriors after managing just one game for Bnei where he recorded 22 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks.

Milwaukee Bucks (2012–2014)

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On March 13, 2012, Udoh, along with Monta Ellis and Kwame Brown, was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.[10]

Los Angeles Clippers (2014–2015)

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On September 3, 2014, Udoh signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.[11] Throughout the season, he appeared in 33 games, failing to secure larger playing time and role.

Fenerbahçe (2015–2017)

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On July 28, 2015, Udoh signed a one-year deal with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe.[12] In his first season with the team, Udoh already had a starting role, being one of the team's leaders. Fenerbahçe won the Turkish Cup, with 67–65 win over Darüşşafaka. Fenerbahçe also reached the final game of the 2016 EuroLeague Final Four, but fell short of winning the EuroLeague championship, after an overtime 96–101 loss to CSKA Moscow.[13] Over 27 EuroLeague games, he averaged 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. At the end of the season, Fenerbahçe also won the Turkish League championship.

On July 11, 2016, Udoh re-signed with Fenerbahçe, on a 1+1 contract.[14] In the 2016–17 season, Udoh won the EuroLeague championship with Fenerbahçe.[15] He was named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP, after his performance in the Final Four.[16] On July 14, 2017, he parted ways with Fenerbahçe in order to return to the NBA.[17]

Utah Jazz (2017–2019)

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On July 21, 2017, Udoh signed with the Utah Jazz for two years, $6.5M deal.[18]

Beijing Ducks (2019–2020)

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On July 7, 2019, Udoh signed with the Beijing Ducks for a one-year contract.[19]

Beijing Royal Fighters (2021)

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On March 4, 2021, Ekpe Udoh signed with the Beijing Royal Fighters.

Virtus Bologna (2021–2022)

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On July 18, 2021, Udoh signed a two-year deal with Virtus Bologna of the Italian LBA. Virtus also plays in the EuroCup.[20] On September 18, 2021, he suffered a serious patellar tendon injury during the quarterfinals of the 2021 Italian Supercup.[21][22] However, on September 21, the team won its second Supercup, defeating Olimpia Milano 90–84.[23] However, after having ousted Lietkabelis, Ulm and Valencia in the first three rounds of the playoffs, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the EuroLeague after 14 years.[24] However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both Pesaro and Tortona in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by Olimpia Milan.[25]

Shimane Susanoo Magic (2022–2023)

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On December 24, 2022, Udoh signed with the Shimane Susanoo Magic.

Kyoto Hannaryz (2023)

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On February 28, 2023, he signed with the Kyoto Hannaryz.

National team career

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Udoh was a member of the senior men's Nigerian national team. He represented Nigeria at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Coaching career

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Atlanta Hawks (2023–present)

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On June 14, 2023, Udoh was announced as an assistant coach for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks under head coach Quin Snyder.[26]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Golden State 58 18 17.8 .437 — .656 3.1 .7 .4 1.5 4.1
2011–12 Golden State 38 6 21.8 .443 — .719 3.9 .8 .7 1.7 5.5
Milwaukee 23 5 20.1 .409 .000 .800 4.7 1.1 .7 1.6 5.7
2012–13 Milwaukee 76 9 17.3 .435 .000 .748 3.3 .6 .5 1.1 4.3
2013–14 Milwaukee 42 14 19.1 .399 — .638 3.5 .7 .4 1.0 3.4
2014–15 L.A. Clippers 33 0 3.9 .458 — .778 .8 .2 .2 .2 .9
2017–18 Utah 63 3 12.9 .500 .000 .750 2.4 .8 .7 1.2 2.6
2018–19 Utah 51 1 6.3 .694 — .633 1.8 .5 .2 .6 2.3
Career 384 56 14.8 .453 .000 .718 2.9 .7 .5 1.1 3.5

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013 Milwaukee 4 0 13.5 .444 – – 1.5 .3 .5 .5 2.0
2015 L.A. Clippers 4 0 3.0 .333 – – .8 .0 .0 .0 .5
2018 Utah 6 0 3.5 1.000 – .000 .5 .0 .0 .3 .3
2019 Utah 2 0 3.1 .000 – – .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 16 0 5.8 .429 – .000 .8 .1 .1 .3 .8

EuroLeague

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† Denotes season in which Udoh won the EuroLeague
* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2015–16 Fenerbahçe 27 24 27.8 .555 .000 .768 5.1 1.3 .7 2.3* 12.6 16.0
2016–17† 31 22 32.0 .584 .000 .644 7.8* 2.2 1.0 2.2* 12.1 20.7
Career 58 46 30.0 .570 .000 .700 6.5 1.8 .9 2.2 12.3 18.5

Individual awards

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EuroLeague Final Four MVP

EuroLeague MVP of the Month

EuroLeague Weekly MVPs

  • EuroLeague 2015–16 – Playoffs, Game 2, with 25 PIR[30]
  • EuroLeague 2015–16 – Playoffs, Game 3, with 33 PIR[31]
  • EuroLeague 2016–17 – Regular Season, Round 4, with 31 PIR[32]

Personal life

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Udoh is the son of Nigerian parents, Alice and Sam Udoh,[5] and he has one older brother, Eddie, and two younger sisters, Esther and Sefon.[33]

Udoh enjoys reading and runs a public, mostly online book club in his spare time.[34] He is quoted as saying, "If I can play in the NBA and still find time to read — so can you!".[35]

References

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  1. ^ A fresh transfusion of talent
  2. ^ Kingsley, Patrick (June 30, 2017). "From N.B.A. Bench Player to Cult Hero in Turkey". New York Times.
  3. ^ DraftExpressProfile: Ekpe Udoh, Stats, Comparisons, and Outlook
  4. ^ Udoh's next choice: Baylor or NBA?
  5. ^ a b c "Ekpe Udoh Bio". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  6. ^ "Nigeria Profile". FIBA.
  7. ^ Baylor F Udoh declares for NBA draft
  8. ^ "Udoh out 6 months following surgery". ESPN.com. July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  9. ^ Ekpe Udoh signs in Israel with Bnei Hasharon
  10. ^ "Bucks Acquire Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown from Warriors". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  11. ^ "Clippers Sign Chris Douglas-Roberts and Ekpe Udoh". NBA.com. September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  12. ^ "Fenerbahce adds size with Udoh". Euroleague.net. July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  13. ^ "CSKA Moscow claims its seventh Euroleague crown after OT thriller". euroleague.net. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  14. ^ "EKPE UDOH İLE ANLAŞMAYA VARILDI". Fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.[dead link‍]
  15. ^ "Fenerbahçe Istanbul is EuroLeague champion!". Euroleague.net. May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  16. ^ "Udoh caps historic Final Four with MVP award". Euroleague.net. May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  17. ^ "TEŞEKKÜRLER EKPE UDOH". Fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  18. ^ "Jazz Sign Ekpe Udoh". NBA.com. July 21, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  19. ^ Varlas, Nikos (July 7, 2019). "Ekpe Udoh agrees to a deal with Beijing Ducks". Euro Hoops. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  20. ^ "Virtus Segafredo Bologna signs Ekpe Udoh". virtus.it (in Italian). July 18, 2021. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  21. ^ Supercoppa, Virtus avanti ma infortunio shock a Udoh, la Repubblica
  22. ^ Communication on Ekpe Udoh Archived 2023-04-12 at the Wayback Machine, Virtus Bologna'
  23. ^ Basket, la Virtus Bologna vince la Supercoppa: Milano ancora ko, la Repubblica
  24. ^ "Game Night: Virtus is the 7DAYS EuroCup champion and headed back to the EuroLeague!". euroleaguebasketball.net. May 11, 2022.
  25. ^ "Olimpia Milano campione d'Italia, Virtus Bologna ko 81–64 in gara-6". Sky Sport. June 18, 2022.
  26. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Announce Coaching Staff". NBA.com. June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  27. ^ "Udoh caps historic Final Four with MVP award". EuroLeague.net. May 21, 2017.
  28. ^ MVP for April: Ekpe Udoh, Fenerbahçe Istanbul
  29. ^ "Eurohoops: Αμυντικός της Χρονιάς; Ούντο, θέλει και ρώτημα; (poll)". Eurohoops (in Greek). May 6, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  30. ^ Playoffs, Game 2 co-MVPs: Kyle Hines and Ekpe Udoh
  31. ^ Playoffs Game 3 MVP: Ekpe Udoh, Fenerbahçe Istanbul
  32. ^ Regular Season Round 4 MVP: Ekpe Udoh, Fenerbahce Istanbul
  33. ^ Roster: Ekpe Udoh
  34. ^ Deseret News article from January 9, 2018 on Udoh's book club, retrieved April 19, 2022
  35. ^ As quoted by a Fox News article from February 11, 2019, retrieved April 19, 2022
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