Taking Over the Family Business

As a basketball player, it takes a real man to admit that he wants to follow in his sister�s footsteps.

But that is exactly what Ime Udoka of the NBDL�s Charleston Lowgators is doing. Ime�s sister, Mfon, is also a professional basketball player at the highest level, a reserve forward in the WNBA with the Houston Comets.

Mfon is older than her brother by just one year. Kent Smith WNBAE/Getty Images

Basketball families are nothing new throughout the history of the NBA. There have been several father-son and brother-brother tandems. Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton�s son, Luke, is a rookie with the Los Angeles Lakers while Jon and Brent Barry are currently with the Denver Nuggets and Seattle Sonics respectively. Cheryl and Reggie Miller may be the most famous basketball siblings, but Cheryl never had the opportunity to play in the WNBA, instead serving as the inaugural coach of the Phoenix Mercury. No family had ever placed a brother and sister in the NBA and WNBA.

Until the Udokas. On January 14, the Lakers signed Ime to a 10-day contract and appeared in five games before returning to play for Charleston. Mfon debuted in the WNBA back in 1998 with the Detroit Shock the summer after graduating from DePaul University in Chicago. However, she only saw limited minutes in three games before opting to pursue a professional career in Europe. She returned to the WNBA in 2003 and quickly established herself as one of the Comets most valuable reserves

�It is a really special accomplishment anytime you can be the first to do something like this,� Ime said. �We realize just how rare it is that a brother and sister have been able to do what we have done, but we�ve been supporting each other all along the way.�

There was nothing easy about either of their paths. It started many years ago in Portland, Oregon, growing up in a poor family. Mfon enjoyed more accolades in high school in college than her brother, but both found themselves in situations where no one really believed in them. Their paths have led each of the Udokas to the pinnacle of professional basketball and the significance of their historic feat is not lost on either of them

�Ten years ago, if anyone in Portland would have mentioned Ime being in the NBA, no one would have believed it,� admitted Mfon. �He was such a little brat that was always in trouble, and he has grown into such a big, wonderful, sweet, mature man. And there were times when I didn�t get the respect I deserved. These things make you work all the more harder.�

Ime scored 36 points in a game earlier this season. Kent Smith NBDL/Getty Images

Despite sharing a last name and similar genetic sequencing, Ime and Mfon play contrasting styles on the court. Ime is a versatile perimeter player who can shoot the ball well from the outside, pass off the dribble and go inside when necessary. Mfon has played in the post for entire basketball career and has earned a reputation for being a physical player.

�My teammates down here say that I�m a tough player, but I don�t have her mentality,� Ime said. �She is known for her inside play and toughness. But the struggles we have both experienced have made us both mentally tougher. I think we both bring that edge to the court.

Ime and his sister were not close until they reached high school. Growing up, Mfon and their older brother, James, attended the same school and got along well. Ime and James, who played basketball through high school and earned an academic scholarship to Oregon State, grew up playing against each other. However Ime and Mfon were only one year apart and fought often. Mfon played sports with both of her brothers and often muscled Ime around, but they never had any major one-on-one battles.

�He would do things to irritate me and that usually resulted in many fights and arguments,� Mfon said. �He was just the typical little brother, and I was the mean older sister. I think separation was good for us, as well as us just getting a little older.�

But it was adversity, and not separation or aging, that ultimately brought them closer together. Both Ime and Mfon suffered devastating knee injuries just months apart that nearly derailed their careers. In the spring of 1999, Mfon tore her ACL in Chicago and underwent surgery to repair to the damage. Just a few months later, Ime also tore his ACL while playing at Portland State. Without pause, Mfon flew back to Portland so that she and her brother could rehabilitate their knees together.

�It was kind of cute, but not really funny,� Mfon said. �We both just wanted to be healthy and never go through this painful, long, irritating process again. We went through the pain together and used it as motivation to push each other. I wouldn�t wish it on anyone.�

Mfon and Ime rehabbed together after suffering similar knee injuries. David Sherman WNBAE/Getty Images

Both successfully recovered from their injuries and ultimately returned to the court, but not before earning their respective degrees. Ime graduated in 2000 while Mfon, who first opted to play overseas instead of finishing up in her fifth year at DePaul, decided not go overseas again until she had completed her degree. Their parents always made it clear to them from an early age that education was important. They never actually talked about going to college because it was just expected that they would all go.

For all that they have been through together as siblings, the demands of their careers makes it impossible for the Udokas to spend as much time together as they might like. They only get to see each other play a few times a year. Mfon was able to see Ime play a preseason game in Wisconsin while he attended a Comets game in Seattle game last summer.

�It has been hard for us to watch each other play since I left for college,� Mfon said. �It was the most unbelievable thing to see him on TV with the Lakers playing vs. Dallas on TNT. Every time he came on, I would start screaming. My friends thought I was crazy, but the camera was on him a lot and he looked great. He�s got a lot of female fans.�

But Mfon does not have any advice to offer to her brother in terms of how to stick with an NBA team because he is already doing everything the right way. He has worked to overcome a lack of exposure in both high school and college, even transferring from one school to another and essentially giving up a year of his Division One eligibility, and ultimately tearing his ACL with only a few months remaining in his college career at Portland State.

He has done everything to get himself in the right position to play in the NBA. He has worked so hard to get here,� Mfon said. �He has been down and out and dealt so many blows. He is almost there, so the only advice I can offer is to be patient and that his time will come.�

Indeed, Ime has made a favorable impression on many knowledgeable and experienced NBA coaches and players. His solid 2002-03 season with the Lowgators earned him an invitation to training camp with the Lakers, a pre-season favorite by most accounts, where he continued to turn heads.

�The Lakers gave me a lot of positive feedback after the preseason,� said Ime. �The fact that I was the last one they cut is a definite sign that they liked what I am able to do. But I knew that it�s a numbers game and if that it didn�t work out in my favor, I would be one of the first guys they took a look at. And they did.�

Ime spent 10 days with the Lakers in January. Noah Graham NBAE/Getty Images

When a rash of injuries hit Phil Jackson�s talent-laden, veteran squad, he looked to the NBDL for help. Udoka was signed to a 10-day contract and became the fifth NBDL player to be called up to join an NBA team this season. When superstars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O�Neal came back from their respective injuries, Ime�s services were no longer required. He has since returned to Charleston, where he is averaging 15.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He is second on his team in 3-pointers made and holds the season-high for points, netting 36 in Roanoke on February 3rd.

�I have been playing well since returning here to Charleston from Los Angeles,� Ime said. �Hopefully I�ll get another chance this year, but if not, I know there will definitely be other chances.�

That confidence is just one more thing these siblings have in common.

�It�s all a matter of time, and he will not stop working until he gets there,� Mfon said. �And I plan on doing what is necessary to keep myself in the WNBA. I could not be more proud of what Ime has done, how often do you get to make history with your own brother?�