MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 17: Head coach Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics talks with Jayson Tatum #0 and Jaylen Brown #7 against the Miami Heat in Game One of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals at FTX Arena on May 17, 2022 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Report: The Boston Celtics star is been suspended from all sports for a placing bets against….
“I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down,” Udoka said in a press release. “I accept the team’s decision and apologize for placing them in this challenging position. I will not be commenting further out of respect for all parties concerned.”
As to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Joe Mazzulla, who has been an assistant coach with the Celtics since 2019, will serve as an interim head coach this season.
Wojnarowski said on Wednesday night that Udoka would face a lengthy suspension as a result of an alleged infraction of organizational policies:
Later on in the evening, Udoka was reportedly in a consensual relationship with a female Celtics employee, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium:
Chris Haynes of Turner Sports reports that Udoka has no intention of leaving his job. Nevertheless, Wojnarowski stated on Thursday that there is no assurance Udoka will rejoin the team beyond the 2022–2023 campaign.
Udoka was a part of a significant leadership transition that took place within the Celtics during the 2021 summer. After Danny Ainge, the former President of Basketball Operations, left the Celtics, Brad Stevens was promoted from head coach to top front-office position.
After that, the Celtics appointed Udoka as their next head coach. Udoka had previously worked as an assistant for the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs between 2012 and 2021.
Boston won the Eastern Conference at the conclusion of Udoka’s first season in charge. The Celtics had a 25-25 start to the season but ended up 26-6, good for the No. 2 seed in the East playoffs. Boston defeated the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat in seven-game series after sweeping the Brooklyn Nets in the opening round. After leading the Golden State Warriors 2-1 in the NBA Finals, the C’s ended the season with three straight losses.
Nevertheless, given that all of the important players that helped them go to the NBA Finals—Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart—were back, expectations for the 2022–2023 season remained high. Danilo Gallinari and Malcolm Brogdon’s signing increased optimism that Boston would win its first NBA championship in fifteen years.
But Boston’s preseason has been a complete bust. Due to a ruptured ACL, Gallinari is currently out for the whole season. Meanwhile, rising star center Robert Williams III will miss four to six weeks following surgery on his left knee.
Udoka is currently out for the full season due to suspension. Mazzulla will take over a club regarded as one of the NBA’s strongest challengers for the championship. Due to his two seasons of leading Division II Fairmount State to a 43-17 record and an NCAA tournament berth in his second year, the 34-year-old already has head coaching experience.
Mazzulla also competed at the collegiate level for West Virginia from 2006 to 2011, when he scored 17 points in an upset victory over John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and the Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite Eight to help lead the Mountaineers to the 2010 Final Four. Over his career, the guard finished with 700 points and 340 assists.
