The Celtics will not have head coach Ime Udoka. There is a time and a place for this.
Ime Udoka has been suspended by the Celtics for the upcoming season.
According to the team, there were violations of team policies. According to sources, Udoka had an intimate relationship with a female member of the staff.
The team said a decision about Udoka's future with the organization would be made later.
I apologize to our players, fans, and my family for letting them down. I accept the team's decision and apologize for putting the team in this situation. Udoka said in a statement that he would have no further comments.
It is the first time in NBA history that a sitting head coach has been suspended for the entire season.
Sources told Wojnarowski that the Celtics have an interim head coach.
Will Hardy, Udoka's top assistant coach, left the team to become the Utah Jazz's head coach.
Udoka was an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets before joining the Celtics.
He was the new coach. After Danny Ainge left the organization, Stevens moved upstairs to be the president of basketball operations.
In his first season as coach, Udoka oversaw a remarkable turn around in Boston, one that saw the Celtics go from being under.500 in the middle of January to finishing the season with a 28-7 record. They advanced to the NBA finals for the first time in 12 years after an impressive run through the playoffs.
Udoka is the fifth coach in the past 25 years to reach the NBA Finals, and the first since Nick Nurse in 2019.
He was the first rookies to win multiple Game 7s in his first playoffs. The Boston Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals after Udoka led them to victories over Milwaukee and the Miami Heat in the playoffs.
Tim Bontemps was a contributor.
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