Celtics: Decision on Ime Udoka’s Future After this Season Will Be ‘Made at a Later Date’
On Thursday, the Celtics announced their decision to suspend head coach Ime Udoka for the 2022-23 season for “violations of team policies.” The team has also released a statement, in which they said that “a decision about [Udoka’s] future with the Celtics beyond this season will be made at a later date.”
With that, Udoka has reportedly decided not to resign from his head coaching position, per NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Shams Charania of The Athletic has also reported that members in the Celtics organization “first became aware of the relationship in July.”
“At that time, team leadership was led to believe by both parties that the relationship was consensual. But sources said that the woman recently accused Udoka of making unwanted comments toward her—leading the team to launch a set of internal interviews.”
Prior to their decision to suspend Udoka, team owners and president Brad Stevens met for several hours on Thursday. Following the organization’s decision, Stevens and other members of the Celtics front office also met with players.
Udoka said in a statement, “I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down. I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.”
Joe Mazzulla has now been named interim head coach during Udoka’s suspension. The Celtics open their season Oct. 18 with a home game against the Sixers.
