Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka used his postgame press conference to torch NBA officials during an anti-referee tirade.
The Rockets lost to the Sacramento Kings 120-111 Tuesday night and Udoka found one person to blame. NBA referee John Goble.
“Blatant missed calls. Ticky-tack moving screens and little shit like that. Told ’em get some fucking glasses open your eyes.” -Ime Udoka pic.twitter.com/SZJJ3bWYPK
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) December 4, 2024
“Blatant missed calls right in front of you,” Udoka said after being asked about the officiating. “You’re calling ticky-tack moving screens, and little s*** like that and then you don’t want to call the obvious ones right in front of you, so that was it. Alpie (Alperen Şengün) got fouled a few times on that drive and on the layup and they don’t want to call it. I told him ‘Get some f****** glasses. Open your eyes.’”
The “him” being Goble. Udoka was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter, which only set him off even more. It was clear Goble wanted no part of Udoka as the Rockets head coach was held back by several members of his staff. And after the game, Udoka didn’t seem ready to forgive Goble.
Ime Udoka & Alperen Sengun both get tossed and Ime got his money’s worth.
Safe to say the ref was a little intimidated. pic.twitter.com/fL5fHYbMyS
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) December 4, 2024
“Take your sensitivity and emotions out of it and call the game the right way,” Udoka continued during his postgame presser. “It’s obvious right in front of you, and John Goble — or whoever it was — sees it, doesn’t call it, and I let him know about it.”
NBA head coaches criticizing the officials after a loss is nothing new. But Udoka’s rant was on a different level from what we’re used to hearing, with him calling out an official directly. Kings head coach Mike Brown was fined $35,000 last month for “aggressively pursuing” an official. And Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers was recently fined $25,000 for criticizing the officials after a loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Udoka appeared to do both Tuesday night.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com