Rockets Coach Confronts Fan Over Boston, LeBron James Controversies
The confrontation was brief, but the jab hit Ime Udoka cleanly.
As Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka stormed toward the locker room after a 114-92 dismantling of the Phoenix Suns on Monday, a jeering fan lobbed a barb that cut straight to his nerves.
"LeBron still owns you," the fan shouted at Udoka, which prompted the Rockets coach to step over and confront the Suns fan over his jab.
READ: Celtics Coach Ime Udoka Suspended For Entire Season
To the fan's credit, he did not back down and only sharpened his jab.
"What happened in Boston?" he repeatedly asked Udoka, pressing the coach on his unceremonious exit from the Celtics.
The confrontation was brief, but the jab hit Ime Udoka cleanly.
Much of that scrutiny traces to September 2022, when the Boston Celtics suspended Udoka for the season for "violations of team policies" related to an "intimate consensual relationship" with a staffer.
When he was introduced in Houston, Udoka addressed it head-on.
Head coach Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
"I owned up to it," he said. "I took responsibility for my part."
Boston ultimately cut ties, and the fallout has followed him city to city.
The fan’s taunt also revived his most public clash with LeBron James.
On December 2, 2023, during a Lakers-Rockets clash, James argued a call with officials when Udoka shouted from the sideline.
James approached him and said, "We are all grown men," objecting to the language Udoka used. Officials issued double technicals, and because Udoka already had one, he was ejected.
READ: Rockets Coach Ime Udoka Ejected After Altercation With LeBron
Afterward, James downplayed the exchange, joking that they discussed "how much we enjoyed Thanksgiving." Also responding, Udoka only offered the following: "We had some conversation and [the refs] didn't like what they heard."
Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka gets ejected during this exchange of words with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) at Crypton.com Arena on December 2, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Udoka was ejected after receiving his second technical foul.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Udoka’s Boston fallout, the whispers that followed, and the viral clash with James still cling to him, even as Houston reshapes itself around a young core and navigates a season missing key veterans like Fred VanVleet.
For Udoka, the next step is the same as the last: keep walking, preferably without stopping for hecklers.
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