HOUSTON — Seldom will you see new Rockets head coach Ime Udoka look nervous. The 6-foot-5-inch former NBA player, who guided the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals as a coach, always has a stoic, stern look that exudes confidence.
That was until the final stages of Udoka’s pregame warmup on Thursday at Minute Maid Park, where he threw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Astros played the visiting Los Angeles Angels.
“It has been a very long time since I have done this,” Udoka said as he hurled pitch after pitch to a member of the Astros’ team. “I just hope I throw a strike.”
His pitch crossed over the outside corner of the plate before it bounced into the glove of backup catcher Cesar Salazar. Technically, it was a strike. Even if it wasn’t, Udoka threw his hands in the air as if he had just thrown the last pitch to win the World Series.
“A guy that has all of the knowledge and been through what he has is obviously a huge tool for me to try and pick his brain,” said Houston Rockets HC Ime Udoka about Astros manager Dusty Baker. #Rockets #Astros #Sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/I67I6IXiHu
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) June 2, 2023
“It is an honor to come out and do this,” Udoka said. “It’s the first step of kind of getting to know the community, know the other teams in the city, and getting to catch a good game with a great team.”
Udoka grew up loving baseball, having watched his siblings play before trying the sport himself for seven years. That was before basketball came calling and seeing one of his favorite players from the Portland Trail Blazers, Clyde Drexler, playing on television. He wore a custom No. 22 jersey to honor the native Houstonian.
“I grew up in Portland, Oregon, watching Clyde Drexler,” Udoka said. “He was the reason I started playing, so I am paying homage to him.”
Rockets Head Coach Ime Udoka throws out the first pitch! pic.twitter.com/3xiNbklnJE
— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) June 2, 2023
Before he took the mound, Udoka had a chance to speak briefly with Astros manager Dusty Baker; the two laughed and joked with one another.
“Coaching, in general, is a big fraternity, regardless of the sport,” Udoka said of meeting Baker, who won the 2022 World Series, for the first time. “A guy that has all of the knowledge and been through what he has is obviously a huge tool for me to try and pick his brain.”
