According to the Athletic and ESPN, longtime Spurs assistant coach and former Spurs player Ime Udoka is heading to Philadelphia to become an assistant coach under former Spurs assistant Brett Brown. Udoka will be replacing the vacancy left behind by Monty Williams, who was recently hired as the Head Coach of the Phoenix Suns.
Udoka was among Spurs Head Coach Popovich’s top three assistant coaches this past season, along with Ettore Messina and Becky Hammon.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com, current Spurs assistant coach Will Hardy is expected to get an increased role with the team, which means he’ll possibly move up into the top three along with Messina and Hammon.
As a player, Udoka spent three seasons with the Spurs, and he’s been an assistant under Popovich for the past seven seasons.
Along with Messina, Hammon, and Hardy, Chip Engelland is also among the remaining assistant coaches on the staff. It’s not clear at the moment if the Spurs will seek to hire a 5th assistant coach, like they had last season.
