Rockets Hire Spurs Ex Ime Udoka as Next Head Coach

Ime Udoka played for the San Antonio Spurs from 2007-11 in two separate stints and coached the team from 2012-19.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 24, 2023

Brad Penner, USA TODAY

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San Antonio Spurs

A former member of the San Antonio Spurs is back in the NBA, and he'll be facing his old team pretty frequently in the Southwest Division.

According to ESPN, the Houston Rockets have hired Ime Udoka as the team's next head coach.

The move comes after Udoka led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals last summer and his season-long suspension from the organization after violating team policies.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted: "The Rockets probed the circumstances around Udoka’s Celtics departure with the team and league office, sources said. Udoka – who led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals in his only season as head coach – was dismissed after findings of an inappropriate workplace relationship.

"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 talent, cap space and a 14 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick were part of a strong case to lure Udoka."

Udoka started his coaching career with the Spurs under Gregg Popovich from 2012-19 before joining the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets on his way to leading his own team.

Now, after his chapter with the Celtics unexpectedly closed, a new one begins with the Rockets.

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Published Apr 24, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.