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The likes of JJ Redick and Steve Kerr got head coaching opportunities in the NBA without needing to put in the hard yards as an assistant, but not everyone is quite so fortunate. Current Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka certainly didn't have that kind of fortune by his side.
Udoka spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach in the NBA, starting his journey with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs in 2012. He played under Popovich for the Spurs from 2007 to 2009 and later during the 2010-11 season and managed to make quite an impression in that time.
Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka at a press conference before a game against the LA Clippers at the Intuit Dome.Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Udoka would be an assistant coach with the Spurs for seven seasons from 2012 to 2019. He then spent a season each as an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets.
Udoka had started to get consideration for head coaching roles toward the end of his time with the Spurs, but never the job. It was only in 2021 that the Boston Celtics offered him the chance to be their head coach, and he gladly accepted.
Udoka told The Athletic's Sam Amick that he FaceTimed Popovich after the Celtics offered him the job, and his mentor broke down in tears in response.
“I had interviewed for three or four years and missed a few opportunities that were close,” said Udoka. “So I call him on FaceTime and say, ‘Boston offered me the job,’ and he’s on the treadmill walking when he gets choked up. You see him looking, and he starts crying, and he had to hang up. He was like, ‘I’ll call you back.’ He broke down. His voice is cracking. And he hung up.”
Udoka will have made Popovich proud with how well he has done as a head coach in the NBA. He took the Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2022 and has now led a remarkable turnaround in Houston.
The Rockets went 52-30 in 2024-25 to be the second seed in the Western Conference. They are currently tied at 3-3 with the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, with Game 7 being held at Toyota Center on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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Udoka spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach in the NBA, starting his journey with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs in 2012. He played under Popovich for the Spurs from 2007 to 2009 and later during the 2010-11 season and managed to make quite an impression in that time.
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Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka at a press conference before a game against the LA Clippers at the Intuit Dome.Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Udoka would be an assistant coach with the Spurs for seven seasons from 2012 to 2019. He then spent a season each as an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets.
Udoka had started to get consideration for head coaching roles toward the end of his time with the Spurs, but never the job. It was only in 2021 that the Boston Celtics offered him the chance to be their head coach, and he gladly accepted.
Udoka told The Athletic's Sam Amick that he FaceTimed Popovich after the Celtics offered him the job, and his mentor broke down in tears in response.
“I had interviewed for three or four years and missed a few opportunities that were close,” said Udoka. “So I call him on FaceTime and say, ‘Boston offered me the job,’ and he’s on the treadmill walking when he gets choked up. You see him looking, and he starts crying, and he had to hang up. He was like, ‘I’ll call you back.’ He broke down. His voice is cracking. And he hung up.”
Udoka will have made Popovich proud with how well he has done as a head coach in the NBA. He took the Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2022 and has now led a remarkable turnaround in Houston.
The Rockets went 52-30 in 2024-25 to be the second seed in the Western Conference. They are currently tied at 3-3 with the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, with Game 7 being held at Toyota Center on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Continue reading...
