Celtics suspend coach Ime Udoka for a year for violations of team policies, his future with team unclear - The Boston Globe
Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is expected to guide the team in place of Udoka.
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Celtics coach Ime Udoka is expected to receive a one-year suspension because of a consensual relationship with a female staff member, according to a league source. Boston assistant coach Joe Mazzulla has been informed that he will guide the team in place of Udoka, the source said.
The Celtics are expected to issue a statement on the situation as soon as Thursday.
It is a jarring development for a team that came within two wins of an NBA title last season and enters this season as the favorite to win the championship. Udoka led the Celtics to the NBA Finals last year in his first season as an NBA head coach and finished fourth in the voting for coach of the year.
Mazzulla was hired by former Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to be an assistant on then coach Brad Stevens’s staff in 2019 and has quickly ascended. He interviewed for the Utah Jazz opening in June before eventually being promoted to a bench role on Udoka’s staff.
The Celtics are scheduled to hold media day on Monday before opening training camp at the Auerbach Center on Tuesday.