The Houston Rockets are betting hard on Ime Udoka leading the team to success in the years to come with the new contract they handed him Thursday.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Udoka was signing a new long-term contract with the Rockets. On “The Pat McAfee Show,” Charania added that the contract makes Udoka one of the NBA’s highest-paid head coaches, and is worth eight figures annually, or at least $10 million.
BREAKING NEWS: “Ime Udoka has reached agreement on a long term contract extension with the Houston Rockets..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 19, 2025
This makes him one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA right now" ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/coepcsaPQL
According to figures provided by Sportico, eight coaches made at least $10 million last season, though three of them have since lost their jobs and a fourth, Gregg Popovich, decided to step down. That means Udoka is likely among the five highest-paid coaches in the entire sport.
That is a huge vote of confidence for Udoka, who only has three seasons as an NBA head coach to his name. The Rockets jumped from 41 wins last season to 52 this season, and at least one other team wanted to hire him, though the Rockets quickly blocked that.
The Rockets clearly expect to be perennial contenders for years to come if they are compensating Udoka like this. Time will tell if their development continues, but they certainly do not appear to be shy when it comes to spending money.
