Fred VanVleet Calls Ime Udoka "The Black Popovich"

Ime Udoka has been a head coach in the NBA for just a handful of years, but he has drawn rave reviews for his broad knowledge of Xs and Os. And, as one of his current players puts it, Udoka’s ability to motivate players makes him comparable to an all-time coaching great.

Appearing on “All the Smoke” this week, Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet dished out high praise for Udoka by likening him to a multi-titled mentor.

“I call him the Black Pop,” VanVleet said, referring to iconic San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Then, dropping another pop culture reference, he added, “If Coach Pop was listening to Future and running around, that’s Ime to me.”

While Popovich has never been known to have any affinity towards Grammy Award-winning trap artists, he appears to have been a solid blueprint for VanVleet’s head coach. After all, Udoka spent three seasons under Pop’s tutelage in San Antonio, at a time when the trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili were on the back end of their dominant run in the Western Conference.

The way that VanVleet described Udoka, he might as well have been naming Pop’s qualities back in the 2000s. “For him to be able to have the pulse of the locker room…has been impressive to watch,” the one-time All-Star commented. “He gets credit for the stern face, cussing guys out, and holding you accountable.”

The proof is in the pudding when it comes to the Pop-like approach of Udoka. After helping the Rockets finish at .500 in his first season in Houston, Udoka led the team to its first playoff trip in five years when it took on the Golden State Warriors in the 2025 postseason. Though the Rockets exited the first round after going the distance in their seven-game series with the Dubs, few could deny that this Houston squad had a high ceiling under Udoka’s watch.

VanVleet, however, will have to wait before he runs plays called by Udoka in an NBA game, as the 31-year-old veteran tore his ACL last September. From the looks of it, Udoka (fresh from a full season of coaching prized acquisition Kevin Durant) will still be in the coaching seat once VanVleet makes his return.