Report: Rockets ink Udoka to long-term extension
Published
The Houston Rockets have extended head coach Ime Udoka to a long-term deal, ESPN's Shams Charania reports.
The deal will make the 47-year-old Udoka one of the league's highest-paid coaches.
A native of Portland, Udoka led the Rockets to a 52-30 mark last season, his second with the team. Winning the Southwest Division title, the Rockets returned to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. The Rockets lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round in seven games.
In 2021-2022 as a rookie coach, Udoka led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals where they fell to the Warriors in six games. In the fall of 2022, Udoka was suspended by the Celtics for the entirety of the 2022-2023 season for a violation of team policies. At the All-Star break, the team removed the interim head coach tag from Joe Mazzulla and officially dismissed Udoka.
For his three-year head coaching career, Udoka has a record of 144-102 (.585).
Prior to joining the Celtics, Udoka spent the better part of a decade as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. He won an NBA title with the Spurs in 2014.
A product of Portland State, Udoka appeared in 306 games as a player over seven seasons from 2003 to 2011 with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Spurs and Sacramento Kings.
According to multiple reports, the Knicks - seeking a successor to Tom Thibodeau - were denied permission to speak to Udoka last week.