IME UDOKA
HOUSTON ROCKETS HEAD COACH
Ime Udoka is the Head Coach of the Houston Rockets. On April 26, 2023, Udoka became the 16th Head Coach* in Rockets history.
Prior to joining the Rockets, Coach Udoka led the Celtics to a 51-31 record in his one season in Boston. The Celtics finished the regular season on a 26-6 run and beat Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Miami in the playoffs before falling to Golden State in six games in the NBA Finals. Coach Udoka was an Assistant Coach for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2020-2021 NBA Season – Coach Udoka helped the Nets to a 48-24 record and 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. Prior to the Nets, Coach Udoka was an Assistant Coach of the Philadelphia 76ers (2019-2020) and San Antonio Spurs (2012-2019). He helped lead the Spurs organization to the NBA Playoffs in all seven years he coached and won an NBA Championship in the 2013-2014 NBA Season.
Ime Udoka was born on August 9, 1977, in Portland, Oregon and attended Jefferson High School. Udoka began his collegiate career at College of Eastern Utah (1995-1997), spent a year at the University of San Francisco (1997-1998), before finishing at Portland State (1999-2000). Udoka went to Europe to play basketball before getting drafted 3rd overall by the Fort Worth Flyers in the 2005 NBDL Draft. In his career, Coach Udoka played for the Knicks, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Kings. Udoka, who has dual citizenship in both America and Nigeria, has an older sister, Mfon, who played in the WNBA. He has one child, Kez, who was born in 2011.
*Inclusive of Full-Time and Interim Head Coaches