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According to Shams Charania of the Athletic, Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka engaged in an “improper” intimate relationship with a female member of the organization. Charania reported this relationship was indeed consensual.
Udoka could face punishment or possible suspension from the team as this is considered a violation of the franchise’s conduct guidelines. It was first reported Udoka could be handed a “significant” suspension by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. A disciplinary decision is expected from the team as soon as Thursday of this week.
Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla could step in as interim coach if Udoka is indeed suspended, according to Wojnarowski. Mazzulla joined the club in 2019, and served as lead coach for the Summer League team in 2020.
One of the people who spoke with The AP said Celtics assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will take over on an interim basis.
Mazzulla interviewed for the Utah Jazz coaching job this summer, a position that ultimately went to Will Hardy, another of Udoka’s assistants in Boston last season. Udoka’s other assistant coaches were Damon Stoudemire, Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles and Tony Dobbins.
Udoka had a brilliant first season with the Celtics, finishing the regular season at 51-31 — going 26-6 in the final 32 games — and leading Boston past Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Miami on the way to the NBA Finals. The Celtics lost the title series to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Losing Udoka is going to be a significant blow to a team that is widely considered among the favorites to contend for an NBA title this season.
The developments are reminiscent of the shakeup across town in 2020 ago when Red Sox manager Alex Cora was suspended by Major League Baseball for a year for his role in a sign-stealing scandal at his previous job, with the Houston Astros. Instead, the sides parted ways.
After a last-place finish under Ron Roenicke in the pandemic-shortened season, Cora was re-hired a year later and welcomed back. It is most unclear if Udoka will follow in that path.
The 45-year-old Udoka spent the bulk of his NBA playing career with San Antonio, then continued his time with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich by joining his staff as an assistant. Udoka was on the Spurs’ staff from 2012 through 2019, and it didn’t take long for him to become one of the names that tended to show up on the short list of candidates when head coach jobs opened.
He spent the 2019-20 season in Philadelphia, the 2020-21 season in Brooklyn, and then the Celtics hired him in June 2021 as the successor to Brad Stevens — who moved into a front-office role.
“The future is bright and we’re just getting started,” Udoka said after the NBA Finals.
Perhaps not. It also adds to a run of major issues the club is facing going into the start of practices.
Boston made some big moves early in the offseason, acquiring Malcolm Brogdon in a trade from Indiana to bolster an already strong backcourt, then added sharpshooting veteran forward Danilo Gallinari as a free agent.
But last month, Gallinari tore the ACL in his left knee and will be lost for the coming season. Center Robert Williams, a major part of Boston’s defensive scheme who played through knee issues during last season’s playoffs, is still dealing with knee problems and isn’t expected to be ready to start this season.
The Celtics were also mentioned prominently in trade speculation surrounding Brooklyn forward Kevin Durant, a perennial All-Star who wanted to be moved elsewhere by the Nets — then pulled back that demand after several weeks. It would have taken a significant package of players, likely including Jaylen Brown, to land Durant, and the trade talk likely left some wondering about their futures in Boston.
