Celtics' Ime Udoka Says He Finished 2nd in Pistons, Pacers and Cavs' HC Searches

Ime Udoka was the head coach of the Boston Celtics when they won the NBA Championship, but it was not possible without the help of other teams.

After the Celtics beat the Miami Heat 100-96 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday to advance to the NBA Finals, Udoka revealed that he finished second in many head-coaching searches before the Celtics hired him.

Udoka said that, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The disappointment of coming in second a few years really hurt. If you told me I would have to wait for Boston and get passed by some of the ones that I got beat out on, it would be a no-brainer for me. I am happy to be in Boston.

Do you really want me to tell you? Detroit, Indiana, and Cleveland. I can go down the list. It was difficult because I believe I was ready. I am proud to be a part of an organization that is pushing for winning. There are a lot of different situations. I understand that there are only 30 teams, but to not be in a rebuild and being in an expectation pressure-filled situation, I wouldn't trade that for anything.

The Detroit Pistons hired a new head coach in 2018, the Indiana Pacers made a coaching change in 2020 and 2021, and the Cleveland Cavaliers hired a new head coach in 2019.

Udoka served as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets from 2012 to 2020.

Udoka played in the NBA for seven seasons, with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Portland Trail blazers, Spurs and Kings, and averaged 5.2 points in 316 games.

When Brad Stevens stepped down as Celtics head coach and became the organization's president of basketball operations, Udoka was able to fulfill his dues both as a player and a coach.

There was a strong foundation in place when Udoka took over a Celtics team with some question marks regarding whether it could contend for a championship.

The Boston Celtics had reached the playoffs in seven of the previous eight seasons and had a young, talented core led by Jaylen Brown.

After the Celtics lost to the Nets in the first round of the playoffs, there was talk about whether Boston should trade one of the two players.

The Celtics stayed the course and both players had huge years, plus Marcus Smart was named Defensive Player of the Year, Robert Williams enjoyed a career year and veteran Al Horford had a resurgence.

The Celtics went the distance in the playoffs with Udoka leading the way.

The Boston Celtics will face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, with the winner going on to play in the NBA Championship.