Former Warriors Lottery Pick Moves From the Court to the Coaching Ranks

Getty Ekpe Udoh looks on during a 2010 game between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets.

Before James Wiseman vexed Golden State Warriors fans with devastating injuries and untapped potential, another player took Dub Nation on the same kind of roller-coaster ride.

Namely, Ekpe Udoh, who was drafted sixth overall by the club in 2010. Similar to Wiseman, Udoh was shipped out of the Bay less than two years after his arrival when he failed to materialize as, well, whatever then-GM Larry Riley had in mind when he picked the Baylor product.

Udoh did alright for himself despite the bumpy start, finding hardwood success in the NBA and abroad during a career that spanned more than a decade. Now, though, the 36-year-old is set to tackle a whole new challenge by hanging up the high-tops and transitioning into the coaching ranks.

As announced by the team on Wednesday, Udoh has accepted a position on Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder’s newly-assembled staff. The Athletic’s Shams Charania was the first to report on the big man’s hiring.

Ekpe Udoh’s Recent Career & His Role in Bringing the Warriors Their First Title

Udoh’s move to the Hawks bench comes less than a month after he could be seen plying his trade on the court, scoring 12 points, grabbing six boards and adding two blocks and two steals for the Kyoto Hannaryz during the team’s B.League finale against the Shiga Lakestars.

And while the season — which appears to be Udoh’s last as a player — ended with his Japanese club finishing well below the .500 mark, his best moments as a pro baller definitely came on the international scene.

While playing for the Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe in 2017, Udoh won a EuroLeague title and was named EuroLeague Final Four MVP after a campaign that saw him average 12.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks nightly while shooting 58.4% from the field.

He played so well, in fact, that he earned a contract with the Utah Jazz after having been out of the league for two seasons. It was a decision that ultimately brought him into contact with his future boss, Coach Snyder.

On the whole, Udoh’s seven scattered years in the Association were marked with ups and downs. From the jump, a wrist injury put him behind the eight ball with the Warriors. And while he was able to bounce back from that physically, he would appear in just 96 games total games for Golden State from 2010 to 2012 before getting dealt.

Dubs fans should probably be thanking him for his part in the trade, though. By sending Udoh to the Milwaukee Bucks at that time, the Warriors were able to acquire Andrew Bogut, who became the team’s starting pivot and played a key role in tipping off the dynastic era.

Udoh played with the Warriors, Bucks, LA Clippers and Jazz, as well as teams in Israel, Turkey, China, Italy and Japan, in his 13 years as a player.

B/R Is Selling the Warriors as an NBA Championship Bet

If one were to bet on the Warriors to win the 2023 NBA title at this point, they’d stand to win a bundle — the team is currently a +1200 pick (per FanDuel) to take top honors, which puts them firmly in the dark horse conversation.

For his part, though, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey is selling the Dubs as a club worth calling your bookie about. As the longtime hoops scribe sees it, the wave may have crested for the Bay Area crew:

Curry, Thompson and Green are all in their 30s now. Depth is critical for keeping a title window open for an older team like this, and that was already a big problem in 2022-23.

When at least two of the aforementioned starters were off the floor, Golden State’s net rating plummeted to minus-2.7. And no team is more in danger of losing depth as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement.