Congrats to Ime. Deserved.
It was announced today that the Houston Rockets signed head coach Ime Udoka to a multi-year extension making him one of the top paid coaches in the NBA. Exact financial details and length weren’t immediately available, just that it was multi-years and a lot of money.
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has agreed to a long-term contract extension with the franchise that makes him one of the highest paid NBA coaches, after a 52-win season and top-2 seed for the first time in seven years, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/fah9NMuWyj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 19, 2025
So let’s take a look at some of the NBA’s other highest paid coaches to get an idea of what Ime is now making. Udoka was originally signed to a four-year, $28.5million deal, averaging around $7 million per year. That deal was to run until 2027, with the new multi-year extension pushing past that. Here are the NBA’s top 10 paid coaches for 2025.
Steve Kerr – Golden State Warriors $17.5 million
Eric Spoelstra – Miami Heat $15 million
Tyronn Lue – Los Angeles Clippers $15 million
Doc Rivers – Milwaukee Bucks $11 million
Tom Thibodeau – New York Knicks $11 million – Now fired
Rick Carlisle – Indiana Pacers $9 million
Nick Nurse – Philadelphia 76ers $8.5 million
Jason Kidd – Dallas Mavericks $8.5 million
JJ Redick – Los Angeles Lakers $8 million
Quin Snyder – Atlanta Hawks $8 million
Being that Udoka was previously right below that group, it’s probably fair to say he’s somewhere in the middle of that list now. Shams said on on the Pat McAfee show that it’s likely an eight-figure deal, which would make Udoka likely somewhere around fifth-highest-paid.
Udoka just finished up his second season with the Rockets, spearheading a massive turnaround that saw the team finish 41-41 in 2024, a huge lift from the 22-60 record Houston had in 2023 under Stephen Silas. The Rockets then finished 52-30 in 2025, good enough for the second seed in the Western Conference. Udoka was one of the 2025 finalists for NBA Coach of The Year.
We’ll have more on the contract once we get some details, but with the New York Knicks attempting to flirt with Udoka this offseason, it’s good that the Rockets firmed up the coach’s future in Houston.