Ime Udoka has been the head coach of the Houston Rockets since 2023.
Ime Udoka, the head coach of the Houston Rockets has solidified his reputation as one of the NBA’s top defensive minds. He has held the position since 2023, and led the team to a remarkable turnaround. Born in 1977 to Vitalis Udoka of Nigerian descent, Udoka began his coaching career with the San Antonio Spurs in 2012, a team he once was a part of as a player for three seasons.
In this article, we will dive into his background, career and impact on the Rockets as they gear up for the 2025-26 season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 21, 2025.
As stated, Ime Udoka began his coaching career in 2012 with the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich. During that tenure, he won his first championship in the 2014 NBA Finals as the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in five games. After spending seven seasons with the Spurs, he moved to the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach under Brett Brown. Udoka and Brown were once on the same staff under Popovich in the 2012-13 season.
In 2020, the Brooklyn Nets hired Udoka as their assistant coach before he finally got promoted to the head coach position for the Boston Celtics in 2021. Under his guidance, the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in seven games in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals to make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010. However, they ended up losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
It was in 2023 that the Houston Rockets hired Udoka, and in his first season, he was named Western Conference Coach of the Month after the Rockets won 13 of their 15 games in March. After finishing the first season with a 41-41 record, the Rockets recorded 52 wins and 30 defeats in the 2024-25 season. They also ended up clinching the Southwest Division for the first time in six years and finished as the second-seed in the West.
Udoka signed a multi-year contract extension with the Rockets ahead of the 2025-26 season, and there are high hopes from his team led by two-time champion, Kevin Durant.
Ime Udoka has won one championship, during his tenure with the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach. The Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in five games during the 2014 NBA Finals. Following it, he led the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals, marking their first Finals appearance since 2010. However, the Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games despite a 2-1 lead.
Ime Udoka went undrafted in the 2000 NBA Draft and kicked off his playing career with IBA’s Fargo-Moorhead Beez from 2000 to 2001. Later, he was associated with multiple teams including Independiente, North Charleston Lowgators, Adirondack Wildcats, Charleston Lowgators for brief stints.
Udoka joined the Los Angeles Lakers for a 10-day contract in January 2004 before joining Fort Worth Flyers. In 2006, the 48-year-old joined the New York Knicks, before moving to the Portland Trail Blazers followed by the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets and the UCAM Murcia before hanging boots in 2012.
Ime Udoka’s stint with the Boston Celtics was filled with a lot of controversies. In September 2022, Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for violation of team policies. He was involved in an improper workplace relationship with a female subordinate in Celtics staff. It was also found that he used crude language in his dialogue with her.
While serving suspension, Udoka issued an apology but didn’t resign from his position due to violation. He was replaced by Joe Mazzulla as interim head coach during that time. However, in February 2023, Mazzulla was promoted as head coach of the Boston Celtics after leading the team to a league-best 42-17 record at the NBA All-Star break.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Udoka has a net worth of around $8 million. According to earlier figures, his NBA earnings were a little under $4 million and his highest-paid seasons were 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, where he earned $1 million in both years.
However, later, it was revealed that Udoka made $5 million per year with the Boston Celtics. In his child support case in the wake of his breakup with Nia Long, filings showed that he earned roughly $400,000 per month. While his current salary is unknown, reports suggest that the Portland-born has an eight-figure annual earnings.
He was involved in a 12-year-long relationship with actress Nia Long, who he shares a kid, an eleven-year-old boy Kez Sunday, with. The couple met in 2010 and got engaged in 2015. However, they ended up splitting in December 2022 after Udoka’s affair with a fellow Celtics staff member caught air.
Ime Udoka was born to Vitalis Udoka of Nigerian descent and Agnes Udoka. Agnes was an American from Illinois, who died in late 2011. He has an older sister, Mfon, who played in the WNBA, and now serves as an assistant coach for the Nigeria women’s basketball team, the D’Tigress.
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