Udoka played for the Spurs from 2007 to '09, then was an assistant under Popovich from 2012 through '19. He told The Athletic's Sam Amick the story of Popovich's reaction when he

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka shared Gregg Popovich's reaction when he earned his first head coaching job for the Boston Celtics in 2021.

Udoka spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach in the NBA, starting his journey with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs in 2012. He played under Popovich for the Spurs from 2007 to 2009 and later during the 2010-11 season and managed to make quite an impression in that time.