The Boston Celtics suspended Ime Udoka for the entirety of the 2022-23 NBA season recently.
When the announcement was made, the team left the door open for a permanent break with their head coach as well.
It is increasingly looking like that permanent break may in fact go into effect sooner rather than later.
Originally Udoka stood accused of partaking in a consensual workplace relationship with a Celtics staffer. This week, fresh troubling details regarding the situation emerged. And they fall in line with Matt Barnes recently suggesting that the problem is less “what” Udoka did, and more “whom” he did it with.
Heard some things about Ime Udoka situation from friend at NBA league office. We’ll see what’s real when the news drops:
Udoka and Nia Long are in an open relationship and he is a “serial offender” with the ladies wherever he coached.
In Boston he slept with team staffer (1/4)
— Khaled Abdallah (@khaled74) October 1, 2022
That handles team accommodations and bookings. She is married and her husband caught em. Husband went to the team and they signed paperwork saying it was consensual and that should’ve been it. Later she said Udoka was inappropriate to her before they hooked up (2/4)
— Khaled Abdallah (@khaled74) October 1, 2022
Team told him to chill but he kept doing whatever and then slept with a Celtics minority owners wife. That was too much for them and they suspended Ime. If it was mid-season they would’ve fired him but it’s offseason so more time to investigate and see what else he did. (3/4)
— Khaled Abdallah (@khaled74) October 1, 2022
Udoka won’t resign bc he doesn’t wanna miss out on the payday but he will likely never coach in the NBA again. Many were surprised he got a HC gig because of his past behaviors. So no one was assaulted and no one got pregnant but this dude was wildin on the job (4/4)
— Khaled Abdallah (@khaled74) October 1, 2022
In addition to that, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski also provided fresh clarity on the situation at hand.
“Those investigative findings — which described verbiage on Udoka’s part that was deemed especially concerning coming from a workplace superior — contribute to what is likely a difficult pathway back to his reinstatement as Celtics coach in 2023,” he wrote.
“The power dynamic associated with a superior’s improper relationship with a staff member was the primary finding and policy violation cited in the law firm’s report, which was commissioned by the Celtics and completed early last week, sources said.”
A lot of ugly details about Udoka’s purported transgressions have come out in recent days. That coupled with Ramona Shelburne’s ominous warning about bad news to come suggests that the final word on this story has yet to be written.
Originally it seemed like Udoka may survive in Boston. That he would serve his time and then return.
Look closely. The video doesn’t lie.https://t.co/q95vWOPEj7
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 2, 2022
But it is increasingly looking like that may not in fact be the case.
Does that mean Udoka won’t be back in the NBA in some capacity down the line? It’s impossible to know.
At the moment, though – his future doesn’t look especially bright.
Related: Kansas State Star Flirts With Texas Tech Cheerleader Midgame (Video)
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
