Ekpe Udoh

Ekpedeme Friday "Ekpe" Udoh ( ; born May 20, 1987) is a Nigerian-American 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 " wingspan, Udoh was the Big 12 Conference's leading shot blocker during the 2009–10 season. 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. 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.

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. His teammate, Jesse Scotford lead the team in points, often assisted by Udoh. 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.

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, 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. 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.

Los Angeles Clippers (2014–2015) On September 3, 2014, Udoh signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. 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. 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. 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. In the 2016–17 season, Udoh won the EuroLeague championship with Fenerbahçe. He was named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP, after his performance in the Final Four. On July 14, 2017, he parted ways with Fenerbahçe in order to return to the NBA.

Utah Jazz (2017–2019) On July 21, 2017, Udoh signed with the Utah Jazz for two years, $6.5M deal.

Beijing Ducks (2019–2020) On July 7, 2019, Udoh signed with the Beijing Ducks for a one-year contract.

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. He only played one official game for Bologna, as on September 18, 2021, he suffered a serious patellar tendon injury during the quarterfinals of the 2021 Italian Supercup. On July 27, 2022, after missing the rest of the season due to the injury, he was released from the club.

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.

Career statistics

NBA Regular season

Playoffs

EuroLeague †Denotes season in which Udoh won the EuroLeague* Led the league

College

Individual awards EuroLeague Final Four MVP EuroLeague 2016–17

EuroLeague MVP of the Month EuroLeague 2015–16, April EuroLeague Best Defender (2017) by Eurohoops

EuroLeague Weekly MVPs EuroLeague 2015–16 – Playoffs, Game 2, with 25 PIR EuroLeague 2015–16 – Playoffs, Game 3, with 33 PIR EuroLeague 2016–17 – Regular Season, Round 4, with 31 PIR

Personal life Udoh is the son of Nigerian parents, Alice and Sam Udoh,

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