By Joe Apu
Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has tended his apology for his action which has led to his suspension for the entire 2022-23 NBA season for violations of the team’s code of conduct.
Udoka made the apology to the organization Thursday night after Boston Celtics announced its decision to suspend the former Nigerian international.
“I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down,” Udoka said, via ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “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 Athletic’s Shams Charania reported late Wednesday night, citing anonymous sources, that Udoka allegedly “had an improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff.”
Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will serve as the team’s interim head coach in Udoka’s absence, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. A decision about Udoka’s long-term future with the team beyond the 2022-23 season, the Celtics said, “will be made at a later date.”
About 24 hours later, Charania reported the Celtics became aware of the relationship in July and were led to believe by both parties that the relationship was consensual. However, it’s reported the woman recently accused Udoka of making unwanted comments toward her, leading to internal reviews.
Udoka led the Celtics to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010 in his debut season as a head coach. Boston is the favorite to win the 2023 championship, according to BetMGM.
Udoka played parts of seven NBA seasons for five different teams before joining the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant in 2012.
The 45-year-old also spent time as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets before the Celtics gave him an overdue opportunity to lead a team. He finished fourth in Coach of the Year voting last season.
Udoka was a player on the Nigerian national team. At the 2006 FIBA World Championships, Udoka led Nigeria in scoring, assists, and steals. He also played for Nigeria in the 2005 and 2011 FIBA Africa Championships, winning a bronze medal in both tournaments.
Udoka has served as an assistant coach for USA Basketball under his Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich. Udoka’s coaching role on the 2019 FIBA World Cup team helped him build relationships with Celtics players Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, who advocated for his hiring as the new Boston head coach. Udoka also coached for Team USA under Popovich at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, along with Celtics assistant Will Hardy.