Report: Knicks Coaching Target Set to Land Contract Extension

Another name on the New York Knicks' coaching list appears destined to stick around in his current locale.

Jan 17, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka coaches against the New York Knicks during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Houston, we have an extension.

Another name on the New York Knicks' list of head coaching candidates has reportedly landed a contract extension, as intel from Shams Charania of ESPN states that Ime Udoka has landed a long-term deal to stick around with the Houston Rockets.

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has agreed to a long-term contract extension with the franchise that makes him one of the highest paid NBA coaches, after a 52-win season and top-2 seed for the first time in seven years, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/fah9NMuWyj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 19, 2025

Udoka, having just wrapped his second season in Space City, was reportedly one of several active bosses that the Knicks attempted to interview after the surprise ousting of Tom Thibodeau. He's the second man on that list to land a reported extension as Chicago's Billy Donovan likewise found an apparent windfall after the Knicks expressed interest.

Like Donovan, Udoka briefly played for the Knicks, playing eight games with the team in 2006. Since then, Udoka has overseen the Rockets' resurgence, which produced a second-place finish on this year's Western Conference bracket.

Houston won 52 games and reached the playoffs in a full season for the first time since 2019. For his efforts, Udoka was a finalist for the NBA's Coach of the Year title, finishing behind only Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland) and JB Bickerstaff (Detroit).

Racked with rejections, the Knicks' coaching search has since moved onto de facto free agents, as they're reportedly interviewing Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins for the vacancy Thibodeau's ousting created.

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