Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, his hometown team, was a dream come true for Udoka. Among the candidates being considered for the Hawks' coaching vacancy, league sources say, is former Celtics coach Ime Udoka. "I am beyond proud of this The Hawks are considering Ime Udoka as a potential replacement for Nate McMillan, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). I knew that if I had one more injury, itd all be over. Ime understood the challenges, too. Youre never going to be a 20-point scorer, but the guys respect you and listen to you, and you play the right way, Thomas said. The Boston Celtics have suspended coach Ime Udoka for the 2022-23 season, the team announced Thursday night. Popovichs pitch was more direct. The Celtics will enter the season as one of the N.B.A.s most talented teams. L ast June, a small but powerful Celtics contingent flew to New York to interview Nets assistant Ime Udoka for Bostons head coaching vacancy. Related: Celtics to hire Nets assistant Ime Udoka as head coach It was no shock Stevens and the 43-year-old Udoka bonded during the interview process. This is the way with Ime Udoka. Id play by myself, when it was raining, everything. And that was very telling to me, Popovich said. If Celtics let Ime Udoka become Nets coach, more than basketball is on the line. 0:00. USA TODAY. #ada-button-frame { Udoka led Boston to victories over the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals and the Miami Heat in the East finals in seven games before the Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals in six games. And the name that kept coming up from everybody you talk to, Stevens said, was Imes.. Joe Mazzulla, 34, one of Udokas assistant coaches, will be the interim head coach this season. The Celtics cited violations of team Presumably Udoka has no intention of getting into a brawl, but hes up to the task if you ask his former Nigerian mens national teammate Gabe Muoneke. Udoka was viewed as a rising coach in the NBA. Earnings: $3,926,817 ($5,482,454*) 0 share share tweet sms send email Rumors Salary All NBA Aldridge inked a four-year $80 million deal with the Spurs later that summer. Ime would love it. The 45-year-old is the only first-year head coach to reach the 50-win mark in the NBA this season and the third rookie head coach in franchise history to win over 50 games. The Charleston Lowgators of the NBDL (now the G-League) selected him with the 39th pick in the NBDL draft, and Udoka was called up to play for the Lakers in 2004. One afternoon, Popovich called to offer him an assistant coaching job with the Spurs. Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. Now that he is a head coach, he wants to become one of the best there ever was. finals last season in his first year in the role. Sources previously told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Udoka had an intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise's staff. Third on this list at +300 is none other than former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. 2023 ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. But he only talked about them because he was being asked about them. Nia Long said her 11-year-old son, Kez, is having a "really tough time" after his dad, former Celtics coach Ime Udoka, cheated on the actress, resulting in a breakup. Finally, he decided: Im going to take it. Multi-million settlement reached by Vanessa Bryant over Kobes accident photos. With a long-term extension now in place, the Celtics immediate future was in his hands. The moment Boston handed him his year-long suspension, it was obvious that his time with the team was over so this should surprise nobody. Its his authenticity, his ability to be tough and yet very warm, and its his experience, said Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. Ime Udoka (center) and his mom Agnes holding sister Mfon, dad Vitalis, and brother James (far right) in an undated family photo. The Celtics truly came together as a team under Mazzullas predecessor, so when they suspended Udoka it could have easily thrown a monkey wrench into the rapidly approaching 2022-23 season. And though several players have supported him while expressing uncertainty about what led to his punishment, the teams ownership has been less reassuring. Then Kobe walks in after a few days, raises his arm above his head, and goes, Im good, Udoka said. And coaching him you knew that he would one day be on the sidelines coaching. Imes had it tough in many ways, Popovich said. ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report. In his only year as a head coach, Udoka took the Celtics to the NBA Finals last season. 7 things to know about Ime Udoka, the new Celtics head coach But he only talked about them because he was being asked about them. Anyone can read what you share. 1:32. The team went with assistant Jacque Vaughn instead, and he was signed to a contract extension last week. He was about to turn 35 and wondering whether he wanted to go back overseas for another season. Just as Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka continue to inspire the next generation of African players, Ime Udoka is a trailblazer for aspiring coaches from Nigeria and across the continent, said NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams. Boston Celtics Coach Ime Udoka is at the center of one of the most perplexing situations in the N.B.A. Quinn will stay clear of Utah. players have remained loyal to him, and vice versa. After a few months with UCAM Murcia, a club in Spain, he joined some friends in Las Vegas to watch the N.B.A.s summer league. level. Udoka, a Portland native, spent his final collegiate season at Portland State University, where he averaged 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The first-year coach made headlines as a defensive mastermind in his time serving under Greg Popovic, Brett Brown, and Steve Nash in San Antonio, Philadelphia and Brooklyn. I mean, Ime caught the guy in mid-air with a fist and calmly continued his dispatching of oncoming people.. Synder not moving his young kids to magic city and take that job.. Hawks could only wish Thats funny to hear that name swirl around in those rumors.. Hes too good of a coach to walk in to that toxic situation He will be the Spurms coach when Pops retires.. Let him go coach in GLeague or something! We didnt go on family vacations. Among the candidates being considered for the Hawks' coaching vacancy, league sources say, is former Celtics coach Ime Udoka. Writing for the Boston Globe, Chad Finn points out the two more prominent charges against him: hes a little too conservative about calling timeouts and hes been playing his starters, notably Tatum, just a little bit too long. Udoka played for the Nigerian mens national team during the 2006 FIBA World Championship, where he led the team in scoring, assists and steals, and was second in rebounds. Could the team one day rue losing Udoka if he goes to another team and leads them to a championship? Can we corroborate the information? Too bad Vaughn signed with the Nets, he probably could have got more $ with the Hawks, and being a former PG might have fit well with Young. Nobody could move him or really mess with him at all. Celtics coach Ime Udoka had an improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Im going to interview some people, but I already know who you are. What did the Suns Kevin Durant say about his coming debut? Heres a closer look at the Celtics 18th head coach in franchise history. Udoka had never considered the possibility, but a seed had been planted. Its obvious why Boston no longer could put off the inevitable and installed him as the permanent head coach before the stretch run heading into the playoffs: theres literally nothing more that they could ask him to prove. Hes like, I live here [in Los Angeles] right now. The Celtics have said only that they were suspending Udoka for the 2022-23 season for unspecified violations of team policies. According to two people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly, Udoka had a relationship with a female subordinate. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. He spent eight months in Portland loading trailers at FedEx, mostly on graveyard shifts, and did squat workouts using heavy packages. Udoka was not selected in the N.B.A. He never made a bunch of money as a player and had injuries cut his career short. Hes a fundamentally sound teacher because hes comfortable with himself, he knows the material and players read it.. So when he got this job it was just very satisfying, and easy to be over-the-moon happy for him.. By Esteban Bustillos. His pinball-like path continued with several more stopovers before Udoka was called up from the D-League by the Knicks late in the 2005-06 season. Udoka traveled with the team to Utah for a game against the Jazz, and when he was alone in his hotel room, he finally broke down. February 22, 2023 9:39 pm ET. He has a movie-star fiance and is now in charge of bringing one of the worlds most prestigious pro teams to the summit. The 45-year-old could be one of the most sought-after names on the coaching market when the season ends, so Atlanta has the chance to lock him down before any other teams make coaching changes. Great point. As they walked off the plane afterward, Aldridge turned to Udoka and told him he was coming to San Antonio. Since then, many people on social media have posted the names and pictures of women who work for the Celtics, commenting about their bodies and other aspects of their appearances as they speculated whether the women had been involved with Udoka. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is among those being considered for the position. He was initially hired by the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 and spent seven years coaching under Gregg Popovich before he was poached by the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the 2019-20 season. And Robert Williams, the teams starting center, underwent arthroscopic surgery this week to remove loose bodies and address swelling in his left knee. He said Udoka was the only person who was punished or reprimanded, and that the Celtics would not name anyone else who might be involved. Theres not a day I can remember when I didnt play basketball, unless I was sick, Ime said. Over the past few years he had interviewed for head coaching jobs with the Hornets, Magic, Raptors, Pistons, and Cavaliers, and he hadnt. In his only year as a head coach, Udoka took the Celtics to the NBA Finals Win-Win: Jazz offload Bojan Bogdanovic to the Pistons, Celtics suspend Ime Udoka for entire season. Youve got to see this guy, Brown told longtime Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Udoka joins the Celtics franchise after spending the last nine NBA seasons as an assistant coach between San Antonio (2012-13 to 2018-19), Philadelphia (2019-20), and Brooklyn (2020-21). There were no excuses.. Murray and Hunter are grunts. Stevens said it would be disingenuous to expect the start of training camp next week to be business as usual. Udoka spent seven seasons as an assistant in San Antonio. The nine year assistant turned the Celtics around once the New Year hit, and the Boston finished the season second in the East. Boston will hold its media day Monday before beginning training camp. One imagines that we will see him coaching in this league again. In 2007, Muoneke described a fightthat broke out after a game at the African Championships in Algiers. Udoka earned the respect of fans last season when he led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first year as head coach. Grousbeck cited privacy reasons in declining to elaborate on the nature of Udokas misconduct. Former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is (a)mong the candidates being considered for the (Atlanta) Hawks coaching vacancy, according to Substacks Marc Stein. Udoka would be a great hire. He started 75 games for the Trail Blazers and knew he would not be returning to the minor leagues any time soon. Youd respect his opinions, because he didnt have a thousand of them., Gregg Popovich on coaching with Ime Udoka, And Ime just hopped on the plane and was like, Ill fly with you, Aldridge said. Udoka is engaged to actress Nia Long, who played WebFormer Celtics head coach Ime Udoka reportedly is in the running for the Hawks' vacant head coach job, which could set up the possibility of Udoka facing his old team in the I cant imagine whats going on behind the scenes., Celtics Coach Ime Udoka Rose Fast and Fell Hard, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/sports/basketball/ime-udoka-boston-celtics.html. The start of this season has been slightly bumpy for the Celtics, who entered Saturday nights game against the Knicks in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference, just like last year. This is the way with Ime Udoka. Nov 1, 2022. They started dating and eventually got engaged. I think thats kind of what the Celtics should expect, a guy thats just highly intelligent but also has a toughness, has a way of communicating and connecting with players. Udoka joined the Celtics after stints as an assistant coach with the Spurs, 76ers, and Nets, as well as an NBA playing career. As fans have come to expect, Mazzulla wasnt phased at all by the change in circumstances. They kept pushing. How you could coach one guy and what you could say and how you could say it was totally different, Udoka said. The terms of the contract signed last offseason have not been disclosed, but what ever the deal was the Celtics are surely feeling they got away with a steal after Udokas first year on the Boston sideline. He [Udoka] exudes a confidence and a comfort in his own skin where people just gravitate to him, Popovich told ESPNs Kevin Arnovitz in 2015. He becomes the 19th head coach in franchise history, officially replacing Ime Udoka. [Udoka] exudes a confidence and a comfort in his own skin where people just gravitate to him, Popovich said. He kept in touch with Udoka after they both left the program, as did other teammates. By Jared Weiss. Popovich said he knew most of Udokas backstory, but very little of it had been revealed by Udoka himself. Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. Now you can watch the entire NBA season or your favorite teams on streaming. Its a time of concern and reflection and action, he said. And Ime was constantly on the doorstep. Udoka was in Los Angeles as well, and Aldridge thinking Udoka lived in San Antonio where he worked offered his friend a ride. He had surprising success in his first season, leading a team of rising young stars to the N.B.A. The other candidates would all be first time HCs, which is where I see ATL needing to go. By 2012, Udoka was out of the N.B.A. With Mazzulla now installed as permanent head coach, or as permanent as things get in the NBA, the Udoka era officially comes to an end. I went to practice the following day and everybody was looking at me like, Why are you here? Udoka said. His mother, Agnes, would huddle with her children around a gas oven to keep them warm whenever the electricity was shut off at their apartment, according to the Boston Globe. Without specific details, its really impossible for us to judge how the Celtics have handled the scandal from start to finish. After a quick coaching search the Celtics came to an agreement with the former a quickly he began injecting his DNA into the side. The second occurred Wednesday, as Stevens reportedlychose his replacement as head coach: Longtime NBA assistant Ime Udoka. Added Budenholzer, who is currently the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks: One of the toughest, smartest, strongest players that I have been around. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images), The Boston Celtics Wisely Stand Pat During A Busy NBA Trade Deadline, Paul Pogba Returns To Help Juventus Win Serie A Derby Against Torino, Monica Puig Joins Athleta's Tennis Movement, Part Of Larger The Power Of She Collective, Atletico Madrid Reportedly Offer To Sign Ferran Torres From FC Barcelona, FC Barcelona Make Lionel Messi Genius $100 Million Final Offer To Return To Club This Summer - Reports, Atlanta Braves Post Record Revenue, But Profit Falls, FC Barcelona Still Keen On Signing New Pedri Alberto Moleiro From Las Palmas - Reports, Big Apple Aces Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon Among MLBs Elite Slider Artists, NBA, Players Association Very Motivated To Reach New Labor Agreement By March 31 Opt-Out Deadline. Udoka, who most recently served under Steve Nash for the Brooklyn Nets, was a forward in the NBA for five teams from 2003 to 2011 before embarking on a coaching career that started in 2012 with the San Antonio Spurs. Hes been a force of both continuity and change during a season where the Celtics look to be significantly improved from even the squad that just made the NBA Finals. But Ill never forget it.. The Nigerian American, whose father, Vitalis Udoka, emigrated from Africas most populous nation before Ime Udoka was born, is the first person of African origin to serve as a head coach in the NBA. A few weeks into the season, he hurt his knee again. It was a rough start to his rookie season as the Celtics were the 9 seed and had a losing record at the end of 2021. Still, he remains relentlessly determined to bring another championship to this city that knows winning so well. We were poor. He made his debut after signing a 10-day contract with the Lakers when Kobe Bryant injured his shoulder in January 2004. Do the sources know the information? He led Boston to a 51-31 record and a trip to the 2022 NBA Finals in his first year at the helm, but the team fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games. "Feels like it was always meant to be this way. He held various jobs as a laborer and often faced discrimination and racism. Udoka took over in the offseason for former Celtics coach, and now General Manager Brad Stevens after working nine years as an assistant coach. Third on this list at +300 is none other than former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. But basketball was all that could take my mind off of things. To the Celtics credit, they never did. Pop would talk about the relationship part, and that was what it was especially at that age. finals last season in his first year in the role. Udoka earned the respect of many of the Celtics players before joining forces at TD Garden when he was an assistant with the US National team in 2019. They briefly lived in a motel after being evicted from their home before Ime was born. In addition to the names mentioned above, Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson,KingsassistantJordi Fernandez,SpursassistantMitch Johnson, and South BayLakerscoachMiles Simon are considered to be candidates in Atlantas coaching search. He and his sister should come quickly. Udoka had several multiyear offers to play overseas, but he also had a family, and he knew that his playing career would not last much longer. (Only Sanders and Carr didnt win a championship during their stints.) When the electricity was shut off in their Portland apartment, Agnes would gather everyone near the gas oven to stay warm. Udoka also had one-season stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Nets before the Celtics hired him in June 2021 to his first head coaching job. N.B.A. Udoka, 45, coached the Celtics to the N.B.A. teammates. Michael Scotto: I spoke with four NBA executives this week about the Ime Udoka situation in Boston. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images). Udokas suspension comes as the N.B.A. Activate your account. Lots of Flash, finesse and Flair.., not sure itll work. Since then, their core led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has remained largely intact. The season-long suspension is largely unprecedented for a sitting head coach in the NBA. Udoka started an AAU program in Portland while he was playing for San Antonio, and during summers he would return home to coach that squad, which included future NBA players Terrence Ross and Terrence Jones. You may opt-out by. Team officials learned during the summer that there was a situation, Grousbeck said, which led them to retain a law firm to investigate Udokas conduct. He played under Nate McMillan (head coach) and Monty Williams (assistant coach) in Portland during the 2006-07 season, and played for and coached with Mike Budenholzer in San Antonio from 2010 to 2013. He and his sister. Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. 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