Celtics HC Ime Udoka facing suspension for relationship with team staffer
In his first season as head coach, Ime Udoka led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals. Now, according to an ominous Woj bomb, Udoka is looking at a "significant suspension" from the Celtics bench.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Udoka had an improper consensual relationship with a Celtics employee.
Udoka has been in a relationship with his fiance, actress Nia Long, for over a decade. They have one son together. Long's dancing celebrations became a hit with Boston fans during the team's run to the Finals.
The Celtics clearly take the violation quite seriously, with a very lengthy suspension possible for Udoka.
It's rare that an NBA coach gets suspended at all, and even rarer when it's by his own team. The NBA often doles out suspensions for coaches who make contact with game officials or otherwise harass them, or when they get arrested for a DUI. This type of suspension is truly unprecedented.
Who will coach the Celtics in Udoka's absence? Last year's lead assistant, Will Hardy, is now the head coach of the Utah Jazz, and Udoka hadn't chosen a replacement. Internal candidates include 34-year-old Joe Mazzulla or former Trail Blazers star Damon Stoudamire.
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