Udoka reportedly violated a franchise rule
It might be a while before we see Ime Udoka leading the Celtics again, but we apparently haven’t seen the last of the head coach in Boston.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bombshell report late Wednesday night, revealing Udoka could be facing a “significant” suspension for violating team rules. The Athletic’s Shams Charania eventually reported on the violation: an improper, intimate consensual relationship with a female member of the Celtics’ staff.
According to Wojnarowski, Boston still is considering the possibility of suspending Udoka for the entire 2022-23 NBA season. However, a source tells the trusted league insider that Udoka’s job is not in jeopardy.
The Celtics gave Udoka his first head-coaching opportunity last year after the 45-year-old served as an assistant coach in the league for nearly a decade. Boston excelled in Udoka’s first season on the bench, coming within two wins of claiming the 2022 NBA championship.
Should Udoka face a suspension as expected, Celtics assistant Joe Mazzulla reportedly will be “seriously considered” for the interim role. Mazzulla, a 34-year-old Rhode Island native, joined Boston’s coaching staff in June 2019.