BOSTON — As if this offseason has not been rough for the Celtics already, now their head coach has landed himself in some serious trouble.
Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka received a year-long suspension after having an intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise’s staff. This reported incident is a violation of the organization’s guidelines that prohibit relationships in the workplace, as is the customary practice in most sports organizations. What makes this situation different is the level of punishment the Celtics are exploring for a sitting NBA head coach. There is not one time in NBA history where a sitting head coach was suspended a full season for engaging in a relationship with a member of their staff.
While he is suspended, the assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is likely to take over as interim head coach.
Udoka was brought on as the new head coach last season after previous head coach Brad Stevens was promoted to the President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics. In his debut season, he managed the team to their first NBA Finals since 2010, where they would lose to the Golden State Warriors in six games. Despite their cold 18-21 start, they managed to finish on a 33-10 run that booked them a spot in the playoffs.
Losing a successful coach in a situation like this will be hard for the Boston Celtics to overcome, but the front office has confidence they will continue to compete at the same level as last year.
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