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Ekpe Udoh
Nigerian-American basketball player (born 1987)

Ekpedeme Friday "Ekpe" Udoh is a Nigerian-American basketball coach and former player, currently an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and Baylor Bears, leading the Big 12 Conference in blocked shots during the 2009–10 season. Selected 6th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2010 NBA draft, Udoh boasts a 7'4½" wingspan and led both the Big Ten and Big 12 in blocks during his college career. He earned two All-EuroLeague Team selections and helped Fenerbahçe win the 2017 EuroLeague title, earning the Final Four MVP. Udoh also represented the Nigerian national team at the 2019 FIBA World Cup and 2020 Olympics.

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College career

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.7

On April 13, 2010, he declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.8

Professional career

Golden State Warriors (2010–2012)

Udoh was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. Because of a wrist injury,9 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)

On November 21, 2011, Udoh signed with Bnei Herzliya of Israel for the duration of the NBA lockout.10 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)

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.11

Los Angeles Clippers (2014–2015)

On September 3, 2014, Udoh signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.12 Throughout the season, he appeared in 33 games, failing to secure larger playing time and role.

Fenerbahçe (2015–2017)

On July 28, 2015, Udoh signed a one-year deal with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe.13 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.14 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.15 In the 2016–17 season, Udoh won the EuroLeague championship with Fenerbahçe.16 He was named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP, after his performance in the Final Four.17 On July 14, 2017, he parted ways with Fenerbahçe in order to return to the NBA.18

Utah Jazz (2017–2019)

On July 21, 2017, Udoh signed with the Utah Jazz for two years, $6.5M deal.19

Beijing Ducks (2019–2020)

On July 7, 2019, Udoh signed with the Beijing Ducks for a one-year contract.20

Beijing Royal Fighters (2021)

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

Virtus Bologna (2021–2022)

On July 18, 2021, Udoh signed a two-year deal with Virtus Bologna of the Italian LBA. Virtus also plays in the EuroCup.21 On September 18, 2021, he suffered a serious patellar tendon injury during the quarterfinals of the 2021 Italian Supercup.2223 However, on September 21, the team won its second Supercup, defeating Olimpia Milano 90–84.24 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.25 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.26

Shimane Susanoo Magic (2022–2023)

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

Kyoto Hannaryz (2023)

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

National team career

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

Atlanta Hawks (2023–present)

On June 14, 2023, Udoh was announced as an assistant coach for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks under head coach Quin Snyder.27

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2010–11Golden State581817.8.437—.6563.1.7.41.54.1
2011–12Golden State38621.8.443—.7193.9.8.71.75.5
Milwaukee23520.1.409.000.8004.71.1.71.65.7
2012–13Milwaukee76917.3.435.000.7483.3.6.51.14.3
2013–14Milwaukee421419.1.399—.6383.5.7.41.03.4
2014–15L.A. Clippers3303.9.458—.778.8.2.2.2.9
2017–18Utah63312.9.500.000.7502.4.8.71.22.6
2018–19Utah5116.3.694—.6331.8.5.2.62.3
Career3845614.8.453.000.7182.9.7.51.13.5

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2013Milwaukee4013.5.444––1.5.3.5.52.0
2015L.A. Clippers403.0.333––.8.0.0.0.5
2018Utah603.51.000–.000.5.0.0.3.3
2019Utah203.1.000––.0.0.0.0.0
Career1605.8.429–.000.8.1.1.3.8

EuroLeague

†Denotes season in which Udoh won the EuroLeague
*Led the league
YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPGPIR
2015–16Fenerbahçe272427.8.555.000.7685.11.3.72.3*12.616.0
2016–17†312232.0.584.000.6447.8*2.21.02.2*12.120.7
Career584630.0.570.000.7006.51.8.92.212.318.5

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2006–07Michigan35720.3.469.000.5854.0.8.71.95.0
2007–08Michigan322426.0.437.375.5895.0.9.82.96.0
2008–09BaylorTransfer
2009–10Baylor363635.1.490.335.6859.82.7.83.713.9
Career1036727.2.472.289.6496.31.5.82.88.4

Individual awards

EuroLeague Final Four MVP

EuroLeague MVP of the Month

EuroLeague Weekly MVPs

  • EuroLeague 2015–16 – Playoffs, Game 2, with 25 PIR31
  • EuroLeague 2015–16 – Playoffs, Game 3, with 33 PIR32
  • EuroLeague 2016–17 – Regular Season, Round 4, with 31 PIR33

Personal life

Udoh is the son of Nigerian parents, Alice and Sam Udoh,34 and he has one older brother, Eddie, and two younger sisters, Esther and Sefon.35

Udoh enjoys reading and runs a public, mostly online book club in his spare time.36 He is quoted as saying, "If I can play in the NBA and still find time to read — so can you!".37

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ekpe Udoh.

References

  1. A fresh transfusion of talent https://www.espn.com/dallas/ncb/columns/story?columnist=caplan_jeff&id=4867681 ↩

  2. Kingsley, Patrick (June 30, 2017). "From N.B.A. Bench Player to Cult Hero in Turkey". New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/world/europe/ekpe-udoh-from-nba-washout-to-cult-hero-in-turkey.html ↩

  3. DraftExpressProfile: Ekpe Udoh, Stats, Comparisons, and Outlook http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ekpe-Udoh-1220/ ↩

  4. Udoh's next choice: Baylor or NBA? https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas/colleges/post/_/id/4667722/udohs-next-choice-baylor-or-nba ↩

  5. "Ekpe Udoh Bio". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110720095134/http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/udoh_ekpe00.html ↩

  6. "Nigeria Profile". FIBA. http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/team/Nigeria ↩

  7. "Ekpe Udoh Bio". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110720095134/http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/udoh_ekpe00.html ↩

  8. Baylor F Udoh declares for NBA draft https://www.espn.com/dallas/news/story?id=5082895 ↩

  9. "Udoh out 6 months following surgery". ESPN.com. July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010. https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=5380912 ↩

  10. Ekpe Udoh signs in Israel with Bnei Hasharon http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/israel/88971/ekpe-udoh-signs-in-israel-with-bnei-hasharon.html ↩

  11. "Bucks Acquire Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown from Warriors". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012. http://www.nba.com/bucks/release/bucks-acquire-monta-ellis-ekpe-udoh-and-kwame-brown-warriors ↩

  12. "Clippers Sign Chris Douglas-Roberts and Ekpe Udoh". NBA.com. September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014. http://www.nba.com/clippers/clippers-sign-chris-douglas-roberts-and-ekpe-udoh ↩

  13. "Fenerbahce adds size with Udoh". Euroleague.net. July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015. http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/68e7s5x4rr4b4phj ↩

  14. "CSKA Moscow claims its seventh Euroleague crown after OT thriller". euroleague.net. Retrieved September 9, 2016. http://www.euroleague.net/main/results/showgame?gamecode=250&seasoncode=E2015#!report ↩

  15. "EKPE UDOH İLE ANLAŞMAYA VARILDI". Fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). July 11, 2016. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160712192049/http://www.fenerbahce.org/detay.asp?ContentID=51286 ↩

  16. "Fenerbahçe Istanbul is EuroLeague champion!". Euroleague.net. May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017. http://www.euroleague.net/main/results/showgame?gamecode=263&seasoncode=E2016#!report ↩

  17. "Udoh caps historic Final Four with MVP award". Euroleague.net. May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017. http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/7tqerufeft668lf8/udoh-caps-historic-final-four-with-mvp-award ↩

  18. "TEŞEKKÜRLER EKPE UDOH". Fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017. http://www.fenerbahce.org/basketbolerkek/detay.asp?ContentID=56643 ↩

  19. "Jazz Sign Ekpe Udoh". NBA.com. July 21, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017. http://www.nba.com/jazz/news/jazz-sign-ekpe-udoh ↩

  20. Varlas, Nikos (July 7, 2019). "Ekpe Udoh agrees to a deal with Beijing Ducks". Euro Hoops. Retrieved January 4, 2021. https://www.eurohoops.net/en/others/904229/ekpe-udoh-agrees-to-a-deal-with-beijing-ducks/ ↩

  21. "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. https://web.archive.org/web/20210927044348/https://www.virtus.it/en/news/virtus-segafredo-bologna-signs-ekpe-udoh/ ↩

  22. Supercoppa, Virtus avanti ma infortunio shock a Udoh, la Repubblica https://bologna.repubblica.it/sport/2021/09/18/news/basket_virtus_bologna_supercoppa_derthona-318424490/ ↩

  23. Communication on Ekpe Udoh Archived 2023-04-12 at the Wayback Machine, Virtus Bologna' https://www.virtus.it/en/news/communication-on-ekpe-udoh/ ↩

  24. Basket, la Virtus Bologna vince la Supercoppa: Milano ancora ko, la Repubblica https://www.repubblica.it/sport/basket/2021/09/21/news/basket_supercoppa_alla_virtus_bologna_il_primo_trofeo_stagionale_milano_ancora_ko-318837432/ ↩

  25. "Game Night: Virtus is the 7DAYS EuroCup champion and headed back to the EuroLeague!". euroleaguebasketball.net. May 11, 2022. https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/game-night-a-new-7days-eurocup-champ-is-crowned-tonight/?pageTitle=Homepage&historyUrl=/eurocup/ ↩

  26. "Olimpia Milano campione d'Italia, Virtus Bologna ko 81–64 in gara-6". Sky Sport. June 18, 2022. https://sport.sky.it/basket/serie-a/2022/06/18/olimpia-milano-virtus-bologna-risultato ↩

  27. "Atlanta Hawks Announce Coaching Staff". NBA.com. June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023. https://www.nba.com/hawks/news/atlanta-hawks-announce-coaching-staff ↩

  28. "Udoh caps historic Final Four with MVP award". EuroLeague.net. May 21, 2017. http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/7tqerufeft668lf8/udoh-caps-historic-final-four-with-mvp-award ↩

  29. MVP for April: Ekpe Udoh, Fenerbahçe Istanbul http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/6ui75q9gnc39hj3i ↩

  30. "Eurohoops: Αμυντικός της Χρονιάς; Ούντο, θέλει και ρώτημα; (poll)". Eurohoops (in Greek). May 6, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2022. https://www.eurohoops.net/el/top-lists-el/443057/eurohoops-amintikos-tis-chronias-ounto-theli-ke-rotima-poll/ ↩

  31. Playoffs, Game 2 co-MVPs: Kyle Hines and Ekpe Udoh http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/6tj5fwkk9adbuc4e/playoffs-game-2-co-mvps-kyle-hines-and-ekpe-udoh ↩

  32. Playoffs Game 3 MVP: Ekpe Udoh, Fenerbahçe Istanbul http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/6ttflufgp4i6htav ↩

  33. Regular Season Round 4 MVP: Ekpe Udoh, Fenerbahce Istanbul http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/7dbtl54jeaqe378n/regular-season-round-4-mvp-ekpe-udoh-fenerbahce-istanbul ↩

  34. "Ekpe Udoh Bio". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110720095134/http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/udoh_ekpe00.html ↩

  35. Roster: Ekpe Udoh http://www.nba.com/bucks/roster/ekpe-udoh ↩

  36. Deseret News article from January 9, 2018 on Udoh's book club, retrieved April 19, 2022 https://www.deseret.com/2018/1/9/20638246/book-clubbing-with-the-utah-jazz-s-ekpe-udoh ↩

  37. As quoted by a Fox News article from February 11, 2019, retrieved April 19, 2022 https://www.fox13now.com/2019/02/11/utah-jazz-player-and-avid-reader-ekpe-udoh-surprised-after-michelle-obama-responds-to-tweet ↩