Report: Former Celtics Head Coach Ime Udoka Signs Extension

Former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has reportedly signed an extension with the Houston Rockets.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Rockets and Udoka reached a long-term agreement that will make him one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches. Charania classified the contract as an “eight-figure deal annually” on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Udoka joined Boston in 2021 after previously working as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets. He replaced Brad Stevens, who was promoted to Boston’s president of basketball operations.

In his first season as an NBA head coach, Udoka led the Celtics to an Eastern Conference title. They went 51-31 during the regular season before reaching the 2022 NBA Finals by winning a pair of seven-game playoff battles against the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.

However, Boston suspended Udoka for the 2022-23 season for multiple violations of team policies. An investigation determined that he used crude language with a female subordinate before the two engaged in an improper romantic relationship.

Although Udoka never stepped down, the Celtics named Joe Mazzulla their permanent head coach in February 2023. He promptly led Boston to an NBA title, and the Celtics went 61-21 in 2024-25 before losing to the New York Knicks in the second round.

Udoka found a new job in Houston. After he steered a young team to a 41-41 mark in 2023-24, the Rockets snapped a four-year playoff drought by going 52-30 this season.

As the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed, the Rockets lost a first-round playoff matchup to the Golden State Warriors in seven games. Yet a roster led by rising stars Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jalen Green positions them to contend for the foreseeable future.