Celtics

Report: Ime Udoka made ‘unwanted comments’ to female staffer on Celtics

Published by
Peter Dewey

The Boston Celtics have suspended head coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season after he violated team policies while having an intimate relationship with a female member of the organization.

According to The Athletic’s Sham Charania, the relationship was believed to be consensual, but Udoka was recently accused of making “unwanted comments” towards the female staffer.

“Some members of the Celtics organization first became aware of the relationship in July, sources said,” Charania wrote. “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.

 

“The team’s decision and announcement came after a closed-door meeting Thursday that involved team owners and president Brad Stevens and lasted several hours, sources said. Earlier Thursday, Stevens and members of the Celtics front office met with players at the team facility.”

It’s unclear what the future will hold for Udoka in Boston, but the team reportedly has made assistant coach Joe Mazzulla the team’s interim head coach.

“I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down,” Udoka said in a statement Thursday night. “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.”

The Celtics thrived under Udoka in his first season as the team’s head coach. During the 2021-22 campaign, Udoka helped guide Boston to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. From there, the Celtics went on an impressive playoff run, knocking off the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat on their way to the NBA Finals.

Boston would eventually come up short in the NBA Finals, losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games, but there is no doubt Udoka’s first season with the team was a success.

However, his actions off the court clearly forced the team into a tough decision after it appears he made the female member of the organization uncomfortable with his comments.

Now, the Celtics will proceed with Mazzulla leading the charge in the 2022-23 season. It will be interesting to see if Udoka is welcomed back into the organization following the 2022-23 campaign, or if he will find himself looking to coach elsewhere.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball, football and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

Report: Some NFL teams believe there will be no difference in quality of players drafted at No. 10 and No. 32

There are now only a few days remaining until the 2025 NFL Draft begins. The…

3 mins ago

Austin Reaves offers NSFW evaluation of his Game 1 performance vs. Wolves: ‘I wasn’t myself’

After such a fantastic 2024-25 regular season, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves didn't play…

42 mins ago

Ty Jerome’s Cavs teammates unsurprised by his massive playoff game: ‘Might be a surprise to other people’

The Cleveland Cavaliers started their stint in the 2025 NBA Playoffs off on the right…

1 hour ago

Brandon Jennings says Rockets are ‘cooked’ vs. Warriors: ‘They not ready yet’

The Houston Rockets are in the playoffs for the first time in years, but they…

2 hours ago

Report: Nico Harrison felt like Luka Doncic was holding Mavs ‘hostage’ in time leading up to trade

Not all that long before his stint with the Dallas Mavericks ended, star guard Luka…

4 hours ago

Kobe was closest thing to M.J. ‘you ever will see again,’ says 5-time NBA champ who played with both of them

Former NBA guard Ron Harper was fortunate enough to play with two of the best…

5 hours ago