After spending the 2022/23 season out, Ime Udoka will make his return to the NBA, as he has agreed to become the new head coach of the Houston Rockets.
Udoka has been a free agent after the Boston Celtics suspended him and terminated his contract for violation of team rules. Ime Udoka had a relationship with a female staff member, which was not allowed by the franchise’s internal rules.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Rockets investigated this situation with the league office and with the Celtics, among others, before making the job offer. Udoka had already met with Houston front office to discuss the possibility of a partnership.
Rockets and Udoka moved fairly quickly toward each other after initial meeting, sources tell ESPN. Udoka and GM Rafael Stone kept talking on job. Both sides had some strong options in the marketplace but a deal got done in the last 24 hours to land Udoka with the Rockets. Young… https://t.co/fRPG3Wwy2Y
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 24, 2023
In his one season as a head coach, Ime Udoka led the Celtics to a 51-31 record and an NBA Finals appearance against the Golden State Warriors. He became one of five rookie head coaches to reach the NBA Finals in the past 25 years.
Under Udoka, the Celtics had the league’s No. 1 defensive efficiency and were Top-10 on offense. The Rockets ranked in the bottom five of both categories in a season that saw them go 22-60 and miss the playoffs for another year.
Ime Udoka replaces Stephen Silas, who was fired after three seasons. The Rockets had the worst record in the previous two seasons and finished tied with the Spurs for the second-worst record this season, earning another lottery pick in this year’s draft.
