Who Are Ime Udoka And Mfon Sunday Udoka Parents?

Vitalis Udoka and Agnes Udoka, parents of Ime Udoka, raised him alongside his two siblings in Portland, Oregon.

Ime Udoka’s father, Vitalis, a man of Nigerian descent, came to the US like many to live the American dream. But during those days and even now, being a person of color, Vitalis had to endure hurdles, which at times looked like they were set only for him.

A person of color and a foreigner, Vitalis still championed through his everyday life as three kids would be waiting to be fed back home. But life for Vitalis would’ve been much tougher if it weren’t for his understanding wife, Agnes.

Agnes Udoka, from Illinois, met her husband in Portland sometime in the mid-70s. The couple tied the knot in 1975 and became parents to three children.

Any parent in the world surely doesn’t want their child to know or see their struggle, whether it is financially or any other way. And Ime’s parents, Vitalis and Agnes, did the same.

The couple shielded their children from knowing about the family’s financial hardships. Living from one motel to another was tough for the Udoka family.

When their electricity line would get cut off in their apartment, Agnes would hurdle her kids around the gas oven to stay warm. Maybe it was seeing the hardships of his parents that Ime then vowed to give them a better life.

Vitalis Udoka, Ime Udoka’s father, held various jobs as a labourer. Vitalis, a man from Nigeria often faced racism and discrimination at his workplace.

And one time, he was even fired when he stood up against one of his employers for the poor behavior shown towards him. Nonetheless, Vitalis had to live paycheck to paycheck to raise a family of five.

It was from his father that Ime invoked his interest in sports. The family didn’t have a television, but the father-son duo would be all ears as they would listen to Trail Blazers games on the radio together.

Ime knew basketball could be their way out of poverty, so there wasn’t a day that young Ime wouldn’t dribble his way to school. They didn’t have family vacations like others. The only thing they had was their love for basketball.

Ime’s family dreamt of their son reaching the NBA. And after a long struggle, Ime finally made the roster of Blazers. The family was thrilled.

Though he couldn’t play the season opener, he was prepping for the second season game. And that is when he received the news of his father’s demise.

Vitalis Udoka passed away in 2006 after suffering from a massive heart attack on the floor of his Portland apartment. Though he couldn’t watch his son play, he at least knew Ime made it to NBA.

Agnes Udoka, mother of Ime Udoka, always dreamt of her son playing in the NBA. She would tell her friends that if only one of her children reached the NBA, everything would fall right into place.

Agnes Udoka, born on November 18, 1946, to Gene and Agnes Snell, was the oldest of her three siblings. The graduate of Illinois State University later moved to Portland in 1973.

It was in Portland that she found her future husband, Vitalis. The couple tied the knot in 1975 and faced many financial hurdles in raising their children.

Agnes first worked as a teacher and later went on to work for a US bank and kept that position for over 20 years. Struggling financially along the way, the Udoka family would welcome any type of help they could get.

When their close family friend would bring vegetables from the garden, it would be no less than a treat for the family.

Ime had always been closest to his mother. When Ime finally earned enough from his salary, he bought his mother a home in north Portland. So when she was suddenly diagnosed with last-stage cancer, he couldn’t believe it.

Agnes had kept her failing health private from her kids, just like those financial struggles of theirs. And on December 7, 2011, Agnes, 65, drew her final breath in the same home bought by her son.

Mfon Udoka, Ime Udoka’s sister, is the assistant coach for the Nigeria women’s national basketball team. The older sister of Ime, like her brother, was once a professional basketball player.

Older than her brother by just a year, Mfon was not close to Ime until they reached high school. Mfon was much closer to her older brother James and attended the same school.

It was a travesty that the brother-sister duo suffered the same injury in the same year. But it was during that time that they grew closer. Ime and Mfon suffered knee injuries which required both of them to go under the knife.

Both recovered from their injuries and returned to court. Mfon debuted in WNBA in 1998 with the Detroit Shock after graduating from DePaul University.

She was only handed a few minutes and later opted to travel to Europe to pursue her career. Mfon returned to WNBA in 2003 and became a star player for the Comets.

Mfon chose to represent her father’s country Nigeria in international tournaments and led the Women’s team to the 2004 Summer Olympics.

In 2011, Mfon was hired as the assistant coach for the Nigeria women’s basketball national team and has maintained the position for the past decade.