Ime Udoka, Chauncey Billups, Darvin Ham to get second interviews with Celtics

The Boston Celtics have interviewed several candidates for their vacant head coaching job, and we now know of at least three who have advanced to the next step of the search.

The Celtics are planning to give second interviews to Nets assistant Ime Udoka, Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups and Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski described the three aforementioned coaches as the “prominent candidates left in the search” but said they are not the only ones.

Udoka worked as an assistant under Gregg Popovich for the U.S. National Team at the 2019 World Cup. Celtics players who were on that team have strongly endorsed the 43-year-old, who is currently on Steve Nash’s staff in Brooklyn.

Ham has interviewed for multiple head coach jobs over the past two years. Billups is in only his first year as an assistant coach, but Wojnarowski reports that he has received interest from the Wizards, Magic and Pelicans in addition to Boston.

A previous report indicated the Celtics are looking for a coach with NBA head coaching experience, but that does not appear to be the way Brad Stevens’ search is headed.