Celtics officially suspend head coach Ime Udoka for the 2022-23 season

The Boston Celtics officially announce that head coach Ime Udoka is suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for a relationship with a team staff member.

On Wednesday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was facing a suspension for the entire 2022-23 season for what was initially described as a violation of organizational guidelines. Later, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Udoka had an “improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff.”

The Celtics released a statement on Thursday night, officially announcing that Udoka is suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for “violations of team policies.” Additionally, the team said that they will make a decision on Udoka’s future at a later date.

Celtics suspend head coach Ime Udoka for 2022-23 season

Udoka released a statement following the announcement, via ESPN’s Malika Andrews.

“I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down,” says Udoka. “I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.”

Wojnarowski reports that assistant Joe Mazzulla will be the team’s interim head coach.

Prior to the official announcement, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that Udoka says he is not resigning from his position as he awaited for punishment from the team.

Udoka was hired as Boston’s head coach in 2021 after Brad Stevens was named the team’s president of basketball operations. In his first season with the team, the Celtics finished with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference (51-31) and made it to the NBA Finals. The Warriors defeated the Celtics in six games.

With Udoka now suspended for the entire 2022-23 season, the next question is whether he will remain with the team. That question, as the Celtics say in their statement, will be determined at a later date.