Celtics guard White on Rockets' hiring of former coach Udoka: 'I am happy for him and wish him nothing but the best'

Some Boston Celtics players recently weighed in on the Houston Rockets’ purported hiring of their former head coach, Ime Udoka.

The Rockets, ESPN reported citing multiple sources, have agreed to bring in the 45-year-old Udoka, a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player and assistant coach, to oversee and hopefully help accelerate their ongoing rebuild.

Udoka is best known for leading the Celtics to the most recent NBA Finals – which they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games – in what turned out to be his first and lone season at the helm in Boston. 

The storied franchise later suspended Udoka for the entire 2022-2023 campaign for violations of team policies. 

He was accused of an improper intimate relationship with a female Celtics employee, who claimed that he made inappropriate comments toward her.

According to Sports Illustrated (SI), Udoka’s former players believe the Rockets, who have finished with either the NBA's worst or second-worst record the previous three seasons, made a good move. 

"I am happy for him and wish him nothing but the best," combo guard Derrick White said in the report. "I think he will do a good job of changing the culture. That's the kind of guy and coach he is. He is going to do a good job helping them turn things around." 

SI reported that White knew Udoka before the latter became the Celtics head coach. 

Udoka was an assistant on San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich’s staff when White played in the Alamo City.

Veteran forward Al Horford told SI that he’s “happy” Udoka received another chance at coaching. 

As of press time, the Celtics were looking to clinch their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks with a gentleman’s sweep. 

Once the Rockets make the hiring official, Udoka will become the 15th coach in their nearly 60-year history and the successor to the terminated Stephen Silas, who amassed a 59-177 record in 236 games with Houston. 

Udoka will inherit a team that’s once again angling for the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, with this year’s most coveted prospect being French star Victor Wembanyama.