Brad Penner, USA TODAY
Rockets Hire Spurs Ex Ime Udoka as Next Head Coach
A former member of the San Antonio Spurs is back in the NBA, and he'll be facing his old team pretty frequently in the Southwest Division.
According to ESPN, the Houston Rockets have hired Ime Udoka as the team's next head coach.
The move comes after Udoka led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals last summer and his season-long suspension from the organization after violating team policies.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted: "The Rockets probed the circumstances around Udoka’s Celtics departure with the team and league office, sources said. Udoka – who led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals in his only season as head coach – was dismissed after findings of an inappropriate workplace relationship.
"Rockets and Udoka moved fairly quickly toward each other after initial meeting, sources tell ESPN. Udoka and GM Rafael Stone kept talking on job. Both sides had some strong options in the marketplace but a deal got done in the last 24 hours to land Udoka with the Rockets. Young talent, cap space and a 14 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick were part of a strong case to lure Udoka."
Udoka started his coaching career with the Spurs under Gregg Popovich from 2012-19 before joining the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets on his way to leading his own team.
Now, after his chapter with the Celtics unexpectedly closed, a new one begins with the Rockets.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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