The Houston Rockets have made a move to rebuild their team by hiring Ime Udoka as their new head coach. The former Boston Celtics coach has been chosen to lead the Rockets out of a disappointing NBA season and into a new era of success.
🚨 BREAKING: Former Celtics coach Ime Udoka has agreed to a deal to become the next head coach of the Houston Rockets, per @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/BhpaRoHCqW
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 24, 2023
Houston decided to part ways with Stephen Silas after three seasons and has now turned to Udoka to get the best out of their talented but inexperienced players. The Rockets are in the midst of a significant rebuild, with a host of young players who hasn’t been able to mesh well on the court just yet. However, the talent is evident in Jalen Green, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Åžengün, and others, and they will also get a high lottery pick in this year’s draft.
The Rockets’ post-James Harden era has begun, and Udoka will be responsible for molding the talent and getting the best out of this young team. He has one year of head coaching experience from his time with the 2021-22 Boston Celtics, where he helped the team rebound from a 25-25 start to finish 26-6 and make it to the NBA Finals.
While Udoka’s tenure with the Celtics was marred by an investigation into multiple violations of team policies, the Rockets are looking to move forward and are confident that he can replicate his past success in Houston. Udoka’s experience and leadership will be key to getting the best out of the Rockets’ young talent and building a successful team for the future.
The Rockets’ rebuild is still in its early stages, but with Udoka at the helm, the team is optimistic about their future prospects. As the Rockets turn to their new coach to lead them through this period of change, Houston fans are hoping that Udoka’s leadership will help the team find success and make it back to the top of the NBA.
Ime Udoka: From Player to Coach
Ime Udoka is an American-Nigerian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born on August 9, 1977, in Portland, Oregon. Udoka played for Utah State University Eastern and the University of San Francisco before transferring to Portland State University where he starred for the Vikings.
Udoka started his professional basketball career by playing in the NBDL with the Charleston Lowgators who drafted him with the 39th overall pick in the 2002 NBDL Draft. He was called up to play with the Los Angeles Lakers on January 14, 2004, but was later waived. After a stint in Europe, Udoka returned to the United States and was once again drafted into NBDL. This time he was drafted third overall by the Fort Worth Flyers in the 2005 NBDL Draft.
Udoka represented the Nigeria national team during his playing career. He also served as an assistant coach for San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets before becoming the head coach for Boston Celtics. Udoka led the Celtics to a 51-31 record.
