Ime Udoka lands new head coach job

Apr 25, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka coaches against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter of game four of the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Ime Udoka will return to coaching in the NBA next season.

Udoka has agreed to a deal to become the next head coach of the Houston Rockets, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported.

Udoka, 45, led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first year as the team’s head coach last season. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games but entered the 2022-23 season with extremely high expectations. The NBA world was then left shocked when Udoka was suspended indefinitely over an alleged inappropriate relationship with another member of the Celtics organization.

Boston initially named Joe Mazzulla interim head coach before giving him the full-time position and parting ways with Udoka.

Wojnarowski reports that the Rockets investigated the circumstances surrounding Udoka’s ousting in Boston before hiring him.

Udoka made a name for himself as an assistant coach on Gregg Popovich’s staff with the San Antonio Spurs from 2012-2019. He then had brief stints as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets before being named head coach of the Celtics.

Though he is a controversial hire for the Rockets, Udoka reportedly drew serious interest from other teams as well.