Story updated 9/22 9:36 p.m.
As first reported on Wednesday night, Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is facing a possible one year suspension for his role in an improper consensual intimate relationship with a woman that is a member of the Celtics staff.
The relationship is considered a violation of the organizations guidelines, and a decision on the length of the suspension could come as soon as Thursday. Udoka joined the Celtics last summer after spending time with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets as an assistant coach following his playing career. He replaced Brad Stevens as head coach, as Stevens became the President of Basketball Operations when Danny Ainge decided to leave the organization. Udoka in his first year as head coach helped the team finish 28-7 in their final 35 regular season games, after being under .500 in late January. They made an impressive run through the Eastern Conference Playoffs, advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years. He is the fifth head coach in the past 25 years to lead a team to the Finals in his first season, and the first since Nick Nurse in 2019.
This story will be updated. Reportedly, the Celtics would be considering assistant coaches Joe Mazzulla, Damon Stoudemire, or Ben Sullivan as a possible interim replacement for Udoka.
UPDATE- The news came down later Thursday night that Udoka will be suspended one year for violations of team policies, and will not coach in the 2022-23 season. His future with the organization past this season will be made at a later date. Mazzulla, who has been an assistant with Boston since 2019, takes over on an interim basis. Udoka had this written statement via Malika Andrews (ESPN) once the suspension was handed down- “I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down. I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.”
