Boston Celtics coach was suspended for putting in less effort for the team.
Ime Udoka, the head coach of the Boston Celtics, reportedly had an intimate relationship with a team employee.
The NBA suspended him for the entire 2022-23 season.
During the suspension, assistant coach Joe Mazzula is expected to serve as interim head coach.
In the second quarter of a game between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors, Game Six of the NBA Finals at the TD Garden in Boston on June 17, 2022, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka (left) did not agree with a referee (right).
The suspension, effective immediately, comes after reports Udoka was in a consensual intimate relationship with a woman employed by the franchise.
Udoka has coached the Celtics for one season, leading the organization since former head coach Brad Stevens left the role to become president of basketball operations. He oversaw the teams Eastern Conference championship and a failed NBA Finals bid against the Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics have tapped assistant coach Joe Mazzulla to serve as interim head coach, ESPN reported, citing sources. The team’s top assistant coach, Will Hardy, left the team in June for a head coaching job with the Utah Jazz.
The Celtics, who have won 17 NBA titles, are the fifth most valuable franchise in the league, at $3.55 billion, according to Forbes.
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