Rockets introduce coach Ime Udoka, but say little about his misconduct

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta asked fans to be forgiving as he introduced the team’s new head coach, Ime Udoka, on Wednesday.

Fertitta said any critic who wouldn’t give Udoka a second chance was “not a good Christian”.

The Celtics suspended Udoka for the 2022-23 NBA season in September and then fired him in February after he had a relationship with a female subordinate, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly .

At the opening press conference in Houston, Udoka made his first public remarks since leaving the Celtics, who declined to specify what policies he was violating. Udoka was flanked by Fertitta and Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, who also declined to give details of what they know, including whether they had seen the report of the Celtics investigation.

“What I would say is that we felt comfortable that it was a suitable hire and we felt comfortable with the process,” Stone said. “But in the same way I wouldn’t talk to anyone else about exactly what we did, I’m not going to talk to Ime about it either. It’s just, in my opinion, it’s not appropriate.”

Udoka said he had “worked on myself in many different ways,” including through counseling and sensitivity training, and that it would make him a better person, leader, father, and coach.

“I issued a statement months ago when everything happened and, you know, I apologized to a lot of people for the difficult position I put them in,” Udoka said. “And I stand by that and I feel a lot more regret about that even now.”

He added: “But the situation – the issue – has been resolved and I can’t really say much about it.”

Fertitta said he felt very comfortable hiring Udoka after talks with the NBA. “We’re a forgiving society and everyone makes mistakes and you know, some things maybe we shouldn’t forgive people,” he said. “But I think what happened and his personal situation is definitely something to be forgiven.”

Meeting with sports editors on Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he was okay with teams hiring Udoka, though he said he didn’t know if Houston officials had seen the investigative report. Silver also said the league reviewed Boston’s investigative report and found the suspension fair.

Asked if the Celtics made the right decision to penalize him, Udoka said, “My role in this was to take ownership and responsibility.”

“I served a suspension and I had to admit it,” said Udoka. “So I will preach the same to the boys. I can’t sit here and not answer to myself. So it was their right to do it the way they wanted. And that is the choice they made.”

Udoka played seven seasons in the NBA, mostly as a reserve, before becoming a respected assistant coach for almost a decade. The Celtics hired him as their head coach for the 2021-2022 season. His first – and only – season with Boston was a success, helping lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Golden State. Now he takes over a Rockets team that has been one of the worst teams in the league for the past three years. But Houston has a significant salary cap at its disposal, talented young players and quality rosters.