NBA Rumors: Why Ime Udoka Was ‘Unlikely’ To Coach Celtics Again

The Celtics and Ime Udoka appear to be headed toward a separation that would allow the veteran NBA coach to take over at the helm in Brooklyn.

But even if the Nets hadn’t parted ways with Steve Nash, Udoka likely still was finished in Boston.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report about the Nash-Nets split and ultimately followed up with news indicating Brooklyn was on the verge of naming Udoka its new head coach. Within the column, the trusted NBA insider explained why Udoka probably had already coached his last game with the Celtics.

From Wojnarowski:

The independent law firm probe into Udoka found that he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate before the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman, an element that significantly factored into the severity of his suspension, sources told ESPN in September.

Those investigative findings — which described verbiage on Udoka’s part that was deemed especially concerning coming from a workplace superior — contributed to what was an unlikely pathway to his reinstatement as Celtics coach in 2023, sources said.

A season-long suspension for a coach who just led a team to the NBA Finals obviously indicates Udoka’s wrongdoings were severe. Further strengthening that notion is the Celtics’ willingness to let Udoka walk to Brooklyn without even trying to fetch some form of compensation for his departure.

Should Udoka join the Nets as expected, his first game against Boston will be Dec. 4 at Barclays Center.