The Boston Celtics have a new head coach.
The Celtics reportedly have hired Ime Udoka to replace Brad Stevens on the bench. ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news Wednesday afternoon.
Udoka has nearly a decade of NBA coaching experience, including seven seasons coaching under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. Most recently, Udoka served as an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets for the 2020-21 season.
The 43-year-old, according to Wojnarowski, “quickly” separated himself in the Celtics’ coaching search, which was conducted by his predecessor, Stevens. Udoka reportedly also received support from franchise cornerstones Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, all of whom he worked with at the 2019 FIBA World Championships.
Udoka is the 18th head coach in Celtics franchise history. He’ll look to restore championship glory to an organization that hasn’t reached the NBA Finals since 2010 and won since 2008.
