NBA Rumors: ‘No Guarantees’ Ime Udoka Coaches Celtics After Suspension

Ime Udoka will be away from the Boston Celtics for this upcoming season, and possibly for good.

The 45-year-old head coach was suspended by the Celtics for the entire 2022-23 campaign due to “violations of team policies,” the organization announced in a statement Thursday night. Udoka reportedly had an improper consensual relationship with a Celtics female staffer, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

But has Udoka, who issued an apology in a statement to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, coached his last game with the Celtics? It does seem like a very real possibility even though he could presumably return for the 2023-24 season. The Celtics in their announcement of Udoka’s suspension stated, “A decision about his future with the Celtics beyond this season will be made at a later date.”

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix followed that up with a report detailing Udoka’s potential future standing with the organization.

“In conversations with the team, there were no guarantees made to Udoka that he would be brought back after the suspension,” Mannix tweeted, citing sources.

With Udoka suspended, multiple reports point to Boston top assistant Joe Mazzulla taking over head coaching duties. The Celtics have yet to officially name anyone as the team’s acting head coach with training camp opening in less than a week.

How Mazzulla, who has no head coaching experience at the NBA level, performs if he is indeed given the reins of the team might determine what the Celtics end up doing with Udoka.

But Udoka’s last game with the Celtics might very well be a Game 6 defeat in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors on the parquet floor at TD Garden.