National Basketball Association

Rockets hiring Ime Udoka as next head coach

Published Apr. 24, 2023 6:04 p.m. ET

Former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka has agreed to a deal to become the Houston Rockets' next head coach, ESPN reported Monday.

Udoka, 45, had a magnificent campaign in his lone season in Boston, leading the Celtics to the NBA Finals. But he was suspended for the 2022-23 season by the team after an investigation found he had violated multiple team policies in September. The Celtics eventually moved on from Udoka in February and hired interim coach Joe Mazzulla full-time.

The Rockets looked into the situation that led to Udoka getting suspended with the Celtics and the league office, according to ESPN. The two sides "moved fairly quickly" toward a deal after their first meeting, ESPN added in its report.

In between receiving his suspension and his hiring by the Rockets, Udoka was reportedly in deep discussions to become the Brooklyn Nets' head coach in November. But the two sides never reached an agreement, with the Nets instead opting to hire interim coach Jacque Vaughn full-time.

Prior to joining the Celtics in the 2021-22 season, Udoka spent nine seasons as an assistant coach. Udoka coached with the San Antonio Spurs for seven seasons under Gregg Popovich before moving on to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019-20 and the Nets a year after that.

Udoka also played basketball professionally for 12 seasons, seven of which came in the NBA.

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