AFTER MUCH DISAPPOINTMENT:AND BECAUSE OF UNFINISHED DEALS BOSTON CELTICS HEAD COACH DECIDED TO RETIRE
The Boston Celtics sacked Ime Udoka and appointed Joe Mazzulla as their permanent head coach on Thursday, according to a source with knowledge of the matter who was not permitted to speak about it in public.
Since September, Udoka has been on suspension for “violations of team policies” that were unclear. Udoka had an affair with a female subordinate, according to two people with knowledge of the matter but not permitted to speak about it in public.
In his place, Mazzulla, 34, who had served as an assistant in Boston for the previous three years, was named the team’s temporary coach. Since making it to the NBA Finals the previous season, the Celtics have not missed a beat under his leadership. This weekend, they will begin the All-Star break with the league’s best record at 42-17.
The president of basketball operations for the Celtics, Brad Stevens, released a statement saying, “As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader.” He possesses a special talent for energizing a space surrounding a goal. We are thrilled that he has agreed to guide us into the future and appreciate the work he has done to help us get here.
The Celtics announced in a statement that they and Mazzulla had reached a contract extension, but they withheld the details of the arrangement.
Before joining the Celtics in 2021, Udoka was a well-respected assistant for almost ten years. In his first season, he guided the team to a 51-31 record and an unexpected trip to the NBA Finals, where Boston was defeated in six games by Golden State.
However, the Celtics suspended Udoka a few days before the start of training camp this season, citing ambiguous infractions of company policy. This sparked a deluge of social media conjecture over the team’s female employees.
After the ban was revealed, Udoka released a statement saying, “I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down.”
