Woj: Celtics likely to suspend Ime Udoka for entire 2022-23 season

The Celtics will likely suspend head coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022/23 season for his role in a consensual relationship with a female staff member, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, a formal announcement is expected later today.

Wojnarowski first reported on Wednesday night that Udoka was facing a possible suspension for violating the Celtics’ “organizational guidelines.” Shams Charania of The Athletic later offered more details, stating that the head coach had an “intimate and consensual” relationship with a female member of the Celtics’ staff.

It was exactly one year ago today that Gersson Rosas was fired by the Timberwolves as reports surfaced indicating that he had engaged in an extramarital affair with a female member of the Wolves’ staff. In that instance, Rosas’ job performance was cited by Minnesota as the primary reason for his dismissal. In Udoka’s case, the Celtics presumably have no complaints about his on-court performance during his first year as an NBA head coach in 2021/22.

After a slow start, Boston finished the regular season as the NBA’s hottest team, claiming the No. 2 seed in the East. The Celtics then made a run to the NBA Finals, coming within two wins of the franchise’s first title since 2008.

Assuming Udoka is suspended for the entire season, assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is expected to become the team’s interim coach for 2022/23, Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter). Will Hardy, who was Udoka’s top assistant last season and likely would’ve been first in line to become the team’s interim coach, left the organization this offseason to become the head coach in Utah.