BOSTON – In his one 12 months with the Boston Celtics, Ime Udoka discovered extra success than Brad Stevens ever did. Following a disastrous begin to the 2021-22 season, he led the Celtics to their first NBA Finals start since 2010.
His time with the Celtics was fast, closely coated, and one of many largest storylines within the league.
The identical will be mentioned about his exit.
Simply earlier than the 2022-23 season began, it was reported that the Celtics had been suspending Udoka for the 12 months as they investigated an inappropriate relationship between him and a fellow staffer. Udoka was ultimately let go by the Celtics, and Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach.
Celtics gamers had been vocal about their disappointment with Udoka’s departure, telling the media they had been at nighttime relating to the reasoning.
“I’d say they lied to you guys. They knew,” Udoka mentioned when requested concerning the time frame when the Celtics gamers had been at nighttime. “A few of them knew. Clearly, I might speak to them. They wouldn’t share stuff publicly. Who wanted to know, knew.”
Regardless of the shortage of public information, Udoka made positive that everybody who was straight impacted by the suspension knew what was occurring. And since then, he’s tried his greatest to fix relationships and transfer ahead.
“I used to be upfront with the blokes when issues occurred,” mentioned Udoka. “I reached out to who I wanted to and had a bit consolation in guys understanding what occurred and the way it all went down. After which, clearly, made up with my coaches as a result of all of them got here with me to Houston. So, lots of my guys are again with me. And I talked to them all year long every time I might, however I wished to provide them area to do their factor as effectively.
“That goes with the gamers as effectively. However bumped into fairly a little bit of them over the summer time at Marcus Good’s wedding ceremony and all over the place in between, so I’ve seen all of them and speak to them recurrently.”
Photograph by Carmen Mandato/Getty Pictures
Udoka, now the coach of the Houston Rockets, is again at TD Backyard for the primary time for the reason that 2022 NBA Finals. His return to Boston introduced some odd emotions however not an outpour of feelings.
“Spent 12 months right here and had some success, like I discussed,” Udoka mentioned. “I simply noticed just a few individuals that you simply’re reminded [of]. Everyone on the ramp once you stroll in. And so it’s a bit bit totally different so far as that.”
Udoka’s drama-filled exit brought on chaos in Boston and all through the Celtics group, however he’s since moved on (a transfer that brought on much more inquiries to be thrown round). He has helped lead Houston to their first likelihood at an above .500 report for the reason that James Harden period ended.
The Rockets introduced him on board forward of the 2023-24 season after a 12 months away from teaching. Now solely centered on serving to Alperen Sengun and Houston’s younger core develop, Udoka has two regrets from his time with the Celtics.
“Job not completed. The relationships you construct and the individuals you impression. And so, yeah, that’d be the largest factor,” Udoka mentioned. “You fashioned lots of relationships inside a 12 months and clearly wished an opportunity to run it again and do it once more with a bunch that you simply really feel you might construct and develop with.
“And so, letting the individuals down. And I talked concerning the gamers and the relationships I constructed with them, the coaches that got here with me, after which all people else that was impacted by it. So, for me, that’s the largest factor I’d say total is letting some individuals down for positive. However we’ve talked it out, and I’ve seen lots of these individuals all through the summer time and speak recurrently, and so we’ve moved previous it.”
Photograph by Mark Blinch/NBAE by way of Getty Pictures
Falling to the Golden State Warriors within the Finals was a bitter finish to a season of development. It was the primary time Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and their iteration of the Celtics made it previous the hump of the Convention Finals after failing to hurdle it for years.
Due to his impression, Udoka and the gamers grew to become very shut in a short time. His teaching model was an entire 180 from Stevens’s, and based mostly on the outcomes, it was appreciated. Udoka was continually easy, vocal, and adamant about calling out gamers for failing to stay as much as the excessive requirements that had been set.
The success that went hand-in-hand together with his method spawned connections that final to this present day.
“It’s the relationships which were constructed, and so they’re going to be long-lasting,” Udoka mentioned. “And so all of us verify on one another. It’s no totally different than LaMarcus Aldridge or Joel Embiid or guys I’ve coached that I’ve gotten actually shut with. And so, from that standpoint, recurrently, they do one thing loopy or they see me do one thing loopy, they attain out on TV or no matter.
“Generally, I believe being in LA in the summertime, all of us run into one another fairly a bit and speak recurrently. So I wouldn’t say it’s any totally different than anyone else aside from the truth that we’ve lots of success in a brief interval and actually fashioned nice relationships.”
The main points of Udoka’s swift exit from the Celtics might by no means be unveiled, however the relationships he fashioned throughout his time in Boston stay to this present day.
