Former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka agreed to a long-term contract extension on Thursday with the Houston Rockets that will reportedly make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. In the wake of the deal, Udoka received some high praise from Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem.
After Brad Stevens transitioned from the Celtics’ head-coaching gig to the front office, Udoka was hired to take over as the team’s new head coach in 2021. He enjoyed success with Boston during what ended up being his only season with the team, as the Celtics advanced to the 2022 NBA Finals, only to lose in six games to the Golden State Warriors.
Ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, Udoka was suspended by the Celtics for the entire season after he engaged in an improper intimate relationship with a female staff member on the team. Joe Mazzulla was hired in the interim and eventually made the full-time head coach, which led to Udoka’s departure.
Despite this, Udoka ended up being hired as the Rockets’ head coach before the 2023-24 season. He has led a quick turnaround in Houston, as they were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference this season. In the wake of his new deal, Haslem credited Udoka for the Celtics’ success during his lone year with them.
“When we used to be in those series against Boston … when I looked down to the huddle, it was Ime Udoka leading that charge,” Haslem said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “It wasn’t Tatum, it wasn’t Brown, it wasn’t Smart, it was him leading that charge. He was the leader of that team.”
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The Celtics ran into Haslem and the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals three times in a span of four years, and the only time they managed to get past them and advance to the Finals was during Udoka’s stint with the team.
While the players obviously have to go out and perform, Haslem thinks that Udoka’s ability to get Boston’s young crop of players to buy into his system is what helped it take down Miami. Now, he is seeing the same thing happen in Houston, as the Rockets’ up-and-coming squad has thrived under Udoka’s lead.
With a new deal in the books, Udoka isn’t going anywhere, and the Rockets should be expected to continue their rise in the West. Haslem clearly has faith in his program, and who knows, maybe Houston will find itself matched up against Boston in the Finals in the near future.
