Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka jokes with forward Kevin Durant during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
At this point in his NBA career, playing his 19th season, Kevin Durant is who he is.
When Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets this summer, he joined a team that, though on the rise, is still building its identity on the foundation created during last season’s playoff campaign.
But even before Durant signed a two-year contract extension with the Rockets, he was confident that he would fit with Houston coach Ime Udoka, who coached Durant previously with Team USA and the Brooklyn Nets.
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“Ime has always been one of those guys that understood what I brought to the table, my mentality and my approach to the game,” Durant said. “He always respected that and gave me my space to be me.”
Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka poses for a photo during media day at the Toyota Center in Houston on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Houston Rockets Head Coach Ime Udoka talks with Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) in the first half of game action against the Atlanta Hawks at the Toyota Center in Houston on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka speaks during a press conference at the Toyota Center in Houston on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Spurs coaches James Borrego (second from left), Ettore Messina, Gregg Popovich, Ime Udoka and trainer Will Sevening watch the team against the Memphis Grizzlies at the AT&T Center in Game 2 of the first round of Western Conference playoffs on Tuesday, Apr. 19, 2016. Spurs defeated the Grizzlies, 94-68.
Kin Man Hui/San Antonio Express-News
Five years after star James Harden forced his way out of Houston and three years after the rebuilding Rockets agreed to buy out John Wall’s contract, the Rockets are back to being an attractive player destination and a chief Western Conference contender.
At the heart of the appeal is the opportunity to play for Udoka, Houston’s third-year coach whose no-nonsense personality and aggressive defensive scheme helped propel the Rockets back to the NBA playoffs last season.
The Rockets signed Udoka to a multi-year contract extension this summer shortly before acquiring Durant, center Clint Capela, wing Dorian Finney-Smith and wing Josh Okogie.
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Capela, who previously played for the Rockets when they were coached by Mike D’Antoni, said he appreciates Udoka’s direct coaching style.
“I love it because he’s tough, he’s gonna tell you stuff right away,” Capela said. “I feel that that’s what you need. The season is so long, and at the end of the season it’s more mental and toughness to fight through fatigue, to fight through minor injuries … and that type of coach who is very good at motivating guys and talks can actually get you to play harder. That’s what it’s about whenever you get to the postseason.”
Okogie said, “I think one of the things that as players we take for granted at times is the ability to be coached. You’ve seen Ime’s track record of what he’s been able to do in the league. He coaches his team hard. And for me, I love to be coached so I’m looking forward to it. And obviously, that’s my Nigerian brother, so share those sentiments as well.”
Damon Stoudamire, who grew up in Portland, was one of players Ime Udoka looked up to. They eventually faced off in the NBA.
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Before he started his NBA coaching career in 2012 as an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs staff, Udoka played 12 years of professional basketball, including parts of seven seasons in the NBA. He said that experience helps him relate to players.
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“I don’t try to be like any other coach that I’ve had. I do take bits and pieces from people, but you have to be who you are,” Udoka said. “That’s the main thing, authentic and genuine to who you are. Obviously, I’m heavily influenced by Pop and the honesty and the accountability and those things. And I think that all makes sense to me, but I’m not trying to be him or what he did.
“And just being myself, somewhat in their age range, I guess — although there are some 19 year olds here — being relatable as far as that, that’s the biggest thing. That relatability, the fact that I’ve done it and can talk to them on that level.”
Rockets players appreciate Udoka’s perspective and willingness to be himself. This offseason, the Rockets reached new deals with six players from last season’s roster, including guard Fred VanVleet, center Steven Adams and forward Jabari Smith Jr.
“He understands what’s going on, understands what players are going through on a day-to-day basis, as far as just how to approach the game and ways to get advantages on different teams,” Smith said. “The game’s not complicated. He keeps it real simple and just says, ‘Go play hard and leave it all out there,’ and then, you know, everything else gonna take care of itself.”
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka makes a call from the bench during the first half in Game 7 of a first-round NBA playoff basketball series at Toyota Center in Houston, Sunday, May 4, 2025.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
During Rockets games, Udoka stoically patrols the sidelines with a neutral expression that can quickly transform into a scowl. If he’s not happy with something a player does, he’ll call a timeout and let them hear about it.
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In his first season as an NBA head coach in Boston, Udoka led the Celtics’ young superstar tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. His first two seasons in Houston, he coached a roster that mixed a young core of players including Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson with experienced veterans like VanVleet and Adams. This season, the Rockets added an established superstar in Durant.
Udoka said he doesn’t alter his coaching style or expectations based on players’ experience levels.
“We want to play up to a certain standard regardless of who’s out there,” he said. “I don’t give the young guys more leash because they’re young. They get over mistakes and habits and those things, and that’s what we tried to do last year. So not really. I’m not really going to change what I do. Everybody knows what’s expected and I think the veterans, young guys are all up to the same standard.”
Houston Rockets Head Coach Ime Udoka talks with Houston Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson (1) in the second half of game action against the Atlanta Hawks at the Toyota Center in Houston on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. Houston Rockets won the game 122-113.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
When Thompson was drafted by the Rockets with the No. 4 overall pick in June 2023, just two months after Udoka was hired in Houston, Thompson didn’t know much about his new head coach. It didn’t take long for him to learn what Udoka expected from his players, and that underneath the coach’s sometimes prickly exterior lies a sharp sense of humor.
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“When I got here, he was stern, let you know he was defensive-minded, and that he wanted us guys to play tough,” Thompson said. “But you know, as you get to know Ime, he’s actually really cool. He still is that guy that wants everybody to play tough, but he’s a little jokey.”
Udoka’s reputation in the NBA is one of an intense motivator, something that goes back to his very first coaching gig. When Udoka was still playing for the Spurs, he founded an AAU team in his hometown of Portland. The team, called I-5 Elite, included Rockets assistant coach Garrett Jackson and former Rockets assistant Mike Moser.
Udoka once threw down cash to incentive high school players to compete harder at a practice. His message was: Mistakes are permitted, but accountability and effort are non-negotiable.
On the Rockets, he enforces the same principles.
“I feel like Ime, he really believes in his guys,” Thompson said. “And sometimes it comes off as like he’s getting in my ear or especially when somebody scores on me, he’s on me. But he expects a lot out of me, so I appreciate it. It actually allows me to hold myself accountable. I love having him as a coach.”