Houston Rockets Extend Head Coach Ime Udoka

While no financial amounts have been made public yet, the Rockets are making it clear they believe in the direction their franchise is heading under Ime Udoka as their head coach.

He was originally brought on by the Houston Rockets after being fired by the Boston Celtics during the 2022-23 season. Before his arrival, Houston had only won 42 games in the two combined seasons under Stephen Silas, and in Udoka's first year, the Rockets were able to log a 41-41 season.

Under Udoka, the Rockets were able to put together their first winning record and playoff appearance since 2019-20, going 52-30 this season, despite falling to the Golden State Warriors in the first round.

There was speculation that the New York Knicks were interested in interviewing the Rockets' head coach, Ime Udoka, for their open position this offseason; however, the Houston Rockets denied the Knicks' request, which was followed by this extension a week later.

Udoka has spent three total seasons now as an NBA head coach, logging a decent 144-102 record, including a finals appearance with the Boston Celtics.

As the Rockets prepare for next season, they are hoping to land a potential NBA superstar in Kevin Durant, who has a history with the Houston head coach, as Udoka was on the coaching staff in Brooklyn during Durant's time there and also developed a closer bond with the former NBA MVP with Team USA.

Durant even went on record saying he expected Coach Udoka to be successful at the head coaching position.

“He doesn’t sugar coat a damn thing. I always figured he’d have success,” said Durant.

This extension will be pivotal in the Rockets' attempts to bring on Durant this summer, but only time will tell if the move can be made possible between Houston and the Phoenix Suns.