BREAKING: Reports emerge about Ime Udoka considering resigning from Boston Celtics head coach position amid reports of one-year suspension
Ime Udoka is considering resigning as the head coach of the Boston Celtics, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Udoka will reportedly be suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for violating team rules.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Udoka had an improper consensual relationship with a female staffer. The Celtics have deemed the alleged affair a violation of their code of conduct.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is expected to take over as the interim head coach. Udoka's top assistant from last season, Will Hardy, was hired by the Utah Jazz this past summer to become their head coach.
Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is likely to become Boston's interim coach for the season, sources tell ESPN. twitter.com/wojespn/status…
Before getting hired by the Boston Celtics, Ime Udoka was an assistant coach for nine years. Udoka spent seven seasons under Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. He then moved to the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.
In his first season in Boston, Udoka took the Celtics to the NBA Finals. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. Losing Udoka for the entire season will be a tough task for Boston to overcome. They brought in guard Malcolm Brogdon, who could be the player to put the Celtics over the top.
They were the favorites to win the East heading into the upcoming season. Their training camp is scheduled to start later this month. The Celtics will have their first preseason game on Oct. 2. They will face the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 18 on the NBA's Opening Night.
Who is Boston Celtics assistant coach Joe Mazzulla?
With Ime Udoka expected to be suspended for the entire season, the Boston Celtics will reportedly name Joe Mazzulla as their interim head coach. Mazzulla has been an assistant coach for the Celtics since 2019. He played college basketball in West Virginia from 2006 to 2011.
When Mazzulla went undrafted in 2011, he became an assistant coach for Glenville State. After two years with the Pioneers, he spent three seasons as an assistant for the Fairmont State Fighting Falcons. He was also an assistant for the Celtics' G League affiliate team for one season before taking over Fairmont State as head coach from 2017 to 2019.
Here's Ime Udoka praising Joe Mazzulla back in June ... https://t.co/LxmeOGozoB
Who is Nia Long?
Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka is currently engaged to actress Nia Long. They have been together since 2010 when Udoka was still a player for the San Antonio Spurs. They have been engaged since 2015 and have a son, Kez, born in 2011.
Long is best known for her role as Lisa Wilkes on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" from 1991 to 1995. She won a Black Reel Award for her role as Jordan Armstrong in the 2000 film "Best Man" directed by Spike Lee.
Amid the scandal Udoka is facing at the moment, Long posted a cryptic video on her Instagram story. The video was about finding light in the darkness, as per the New York Post. Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson of Bally Sports reported that the couple have been separated even before the issue happened.