Report: Celtics hire Damon Stoudamire as assistant coach

The Celtics are hiring former NBA guard Damon Stoudamire as an assistant under head coach Ime Udoka, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link).

Stoudamire began his coaching career in 2009 and was the head coach at Pacific for the past five years. Before that, he spent time as an assistant coach with the Grizzlies, University of Memphis and Arizona from 2009-16. Goodman also notes that Stoudamire and Udoka grew up together in Portland.

Stoudamire was the No. 7 pick in the 1995 NBA Draft and spent 13 seasons as a player. He made stops with Toronto, Portland, Memphis and San Antonio throughout his career, averaging 13.4 points, 6.1 assists and 33.2 minutes in 878 games.

Boston hired Udoka after longtime coach Brad Stevens transitioned to become president of basketball operations last month. The Celtics mostly struggled in 2020-21 due to injury and COVID-related issues, finishing with just a 36-36 record.