Stone on new Rockets head coach Udoka: 'Ime’s intelligence, drive and toughness were the traits we were looking for'

The Houston Rockets officially announced the hiring of Ime Udoka as the 15th head coach in franchise history on Tuesday, per a press release. 

The team said there were three things that convinced general manager Rafael Stone to take a flyer on Udoka, who held the same position with the Boston Celtics.

“Ime’s intelligence, drive and toughness were the traits we were looking for in a coach to lead our team through this next stage of our development as we strive to become a champion,” Stone said in the release. “We were honored to have the opportunity to speak to multiple outstanding candidates throughout the interview process and felt that Ime’s vision best aligned with the goals the Fertitta family and myself have for the future of the Rockets.”

A former National Basketball Association (NBA) player and assistant coach, Houston Daily reported, the 45-year-old 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.

Per the Rockets, a strength of Udoka’s is his defensive acumen since the Celtics under him were ranked first in the NBA in both field goal defense and fewest points allowed last season after placing 13th in defensive rating the year before. 

Udoka succeeds the terminated Stephen Silas, who amassed a 59-177 record in 236 games with Houston, Houston Daily reported. 

He inherits 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.

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the terms between the Rockets and Udoka weren’t immediately disclosed. 

Udoka has some Texas connections in that he used to be on San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich’s staff and his sister, Mfon, once played for the defunct Houston Comets of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), according to the Rockets.