“He Like the Black Pop”: Fred VanVleet’s Nickname for Ime Udoka Pays Homage to Gregg Popovich

The Houston Rockets have built a young team around Kevin Durant this season and have been reasonably successful at that. Athletes like Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard have been outstanding and are certainly deserving of the recognition they receive. However, the Rockets’ ascension to greatness begins with the man at the head of the snake, Ime Udoka.

In the short period following James Harden’s departure from Houston, the Rockets found themselves in a state of limbo. They had a young and promising team, but with no structure to guide them.

Ahead of the 2023-24 season, the Rockets hired Ime Udoka as the team’s new head coach. The decision did spark some controversy, considering it was off the heels of his scandal during his coaching stint with the Boston Celtics. Nonetheless, Udoka didn’t waste any time proving why he was one of the best coaches in the league.

In just his second season, the Rockets inexplicably propelled to a 50-32 record. This jump put an end to their five-year rebuild and solidified the culture which Udoka worked hard to set.

Udoka wasn’t alone in building the Rockets’ current culture. Fred VanVleet joined the team in the same offseason Udoka was hired. Although the former All-Star has only played under the head coach for two full seasons, he holds Udoka in extremely high regard.

“His leadership and just being a real leader of men, it’s not easy in this league,” VanVleet said on All the Smoke: Unplugged. “For him to be able to have the pulse of the locker room, it’s been impressive to watch.”

Typically, its the more experienced coaches, who possess the ability to rally a locker room together. However, Udoka is just 48-years-old with only four years of head coaching experience, so this has been a remarkable feat on his part.

His savviness reminds VanVleet of one particular legendary head coach.

“I really just call him the black Pop. He came up under Pop. So he’s like if coach Pop was listening to Future and running around,” VanVleet said.

VanVleet’s comparison between Udoka and Gregg Popovich isn’t outlandish. As VanVleet mentioned, Udoka is a member of Popovich’s extensive coaching tree.

Long before Udoka sniffed a head coaching position, he served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs from 2012 to 2019. His basketball mind was imperative in the Spurs’ 2014 championship over the Miami Heat.

Udoka doesn’t just look to carry out Popovich’s legacy but also create his own. While it will be a task to fill in Popovich’s shoes, Udoka certainly has the tools to do so.

The Rockets are among the few teams that have championship aspirations this season. A potential deep run could do wonders for Udoka’s positioning regarding the top coaches in the NBA.