Ime Udoka not planning to resign from head coaching role with Celtics

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka could be suspended from the team for the entirety of the 2022/23 NBA season, but he does not intend to resign from his post, per Chris Haynes of TNT (via Twitter). An official decision on the duration of his suspension has yet to be announced.

Udoka, who is married, is being penalized for a consensual affair he conducted with a female Boston staffer. The team is set to make a formal determination on the timeline for the second-year head coach’s punishment later today.

After a 12-year playing career in pro basketball, Udoka became a well-regarded NBA assistant. He served under Gregg Popovich with the Spurs, Brett Brown with the Sixers, and Steve Nash with the Nets before getting his first stint as a head coach with Boston.

During his first season as the Celtics’ head coach, Udoka led Boston to a 51-31 season and its first appearance in an NBA Finals since 2010. The Celtics fell to the Warriors in six games.

With Udoka anticipated to miss potentially the entire 2022/23 season, assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is set to assume the mantle of interim head coach for the immediate future.