SEPTEMBER 22, 5:39am: Udoka had an improper relationship with a female member of the Celtics’ staff, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who describes that relationship as “intimate and consensual.”
Sources tell Wojnarowski that no final decision has been made on the length of Udoka’s suspension, but the team has internally discussed scenarios that would keep the head coach out for all of 2022/23.
SEPTEMBER 21, 10:38pm: Udoka doesn’t appear to be in danger of losing his job, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter), and a final decision on a suspension could be announced by Thursday.
SEPTEMBER 21, 9:41pm: Disciplinary action, including possibly a “significant suspension” is being considered for Celtics coach Ime Udoka, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The case involves “an unspecified violation of organizational guidelines,” Wojnarowski adds.
A league source confirmed the news to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). The Celtics are reportedly holding internal discussions on how to handle the incident.
Udoka is coming off an NBA Finals appearance in his first season as a head coach. His team got off to a sluggish start, but improved significantly over the second half of the season and put together a memorable playoff run.
Before that, Udoka was among the league’s most respected assistant coaches during a decade with the Spurs, Sixers and Nets. He was also an accomplished player, spending time with five NBA teams over seven seasons.
Boston Celtics are now officially a dumpster fire!
Literally no information has been given in this article and you have jumped to a conclusion……part of the problem
The head coach is about to be suspended for a significant amount of time. No jumping to conclusions.
Brad Stevens will now once again get to coach Jaylen Brown, the guy he offered to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant.
except he didn’t according to everyone but shams…
Stevens isn’t going to coach. Obviously.
With this info or noninfo, whatever you want to call it: the Celtics went from having a 0% chance of winning the Finals to having a 0% chance of winning the Finals.
Part of the problem…with the “article”.
Exactly no information smh sounds to me like Brad Stevens like man this team can make it to the NBA Finals let me get my job back lol.
Whatever it is it must be serious for the guy Ime Udoka can be facing a suspension.
This Boston Celtics coaching fraternity is something else!
Remember Nia Long on Twitter dancing when Boston advanced to the Finals??? Wow!
Did Ime bombshell get dropped to cover up the news on former Celtics coach Doc Rivers??? Doc is also trending on Twitter because 8 of his last 9 Twitter likes are porn.
What is going on in Boston??????
Oh yeah, things are so, so bad. Oh whatever will they do?
This site is amusingly close to a classic soap opera with rumors and rumors of rumors. It’s like watching “reality TV” with the clucking little gossips having a daily, DID YOU HEAR??!??
exactly
This site is super hilarious.
People get SO wound up.
WTF is going on with team?
No info here yet. Time to Google TMZ to find out what’s really going on.
Nothing yet. I guess I’ll find out in the morning.
I hope for the man it’s nothing serious and just something easy to recover and or learn from. Hope no one including himself got hurt in any way.
Feaster
Lynch
The fans deserve to know what exactly he did. So much for “we need to shine a light on and all misconduct and call it out!”
Yes. I wonder if Bron and Draymond will tweet about this
Calm down Karen
Listen Linda
@ax be patient grasshopper. I’m sure once the Celtics decide to do with their coach they will disclose why. Until then it’s really their business
Jeez this team is imploding! First Gallo, then the Durant trade rumors, Williams injured again and now this. Coach Okey Dokey(as Barkley calls him) must’ve done something pretty bad for this to happen. Considering his first season success and the league’s need for African Americans coaching, this had to be serious.
Must feel weird to type “African American” out instead of what you usually call them, huh?
Do you call yourself ‘European American’?
I’ve always referred to myself as American or black American. African-American is a derogatory term imo for the exact reason you pointed out. Nobody calls white people born here a “European American”….they’re just American.
Well not all white people are European. Have you ever heard of Russia?
Russia is in Europe.
Are you sure?
No it isn’t. Besides the point. Why not call yourself ‘place of ethnic origin’ American? As AxCel pointed out – African American is a stupid, outdated and derogatory term. It wouldn’t be if every citizen of the States was referred to by their heritage.
Refer to a map maybe?
The Western part of Russia, is, in fact, in Europe.
@GabrielJames Race baiting 101. You’re inferring the N word when no one else mentioned anything along those lines. In fact, Lionel was making a valid point relating to basketball, however so flawed. He seems to just be piling on the Celtics (Lakers fan?) despite them coming very close to a title. If you want a solution to racism, you can start by dropping your self-righteous attitude and think before you type.
@gabrieljames them? Who is the racist?
Ahhh yes this is the type of person hoopsrumor hires. Makes a lot of sense
Deshaun is following this closely
Brad Stevens might have to step downstairs and coach again. I’ve seen a tweet saying an assault of someone with Udoka on substances
Well if it was on Twitter then it HAS to be true
Care to revise your statement sir
So he punched stevens, big deal. He’s puncheable
Intimate relationship with a staffer (and he’s married), per Shams. Not surprising.
Bro really fumbled Nia Long….
Celtics went from having a good offseason to a murky one.
Let the man sleep with who he wants. Geez.
It is rumored to be the married to her “high school sweetheart” V.P. Of Player Development Allison Feaster.
Why is he being suspended??? Wasn’t Phil Jackson dating Jeanie Buss????
Nia Long > Allison Feaster
Not when they’re employed by his team. Big no-no.
I now do NOT believe Brad Stevens will return as coach. Too much to lose. Anything short of advancing to the Finals would be a disappointment from the at one time supposed “coaching genius” who never did anything special on an NBA sideline.
If he coaches team and the implosion continues he would look like a failure. Too much to lose by getting back on the sidelines.
There was never any chance of Stevens returning as coach. So…good job coming to that conclusion.
So he had consensual relationship with a female member of the team… So what?
They are two full grown adults and who he sleeps with is none of anyone business and I ain’t even a Celts fan!
It would be different had he raped her or forced her into this relationship by using his position but it look like he didn’t…
Every company that has a manual with rules and guidelines will specifically prohibit relationships within the workplace.
Your oligarch owners have really trained you well.
In any halfway civilized country, private company policies, such as this one, violate superordinate constitutional rights as well as national laws and therefore would be declared illegal.
Try to infringe on your employees’ privacy in Europe and see what happens to you in labor court and possibly criminal court.
If he was her boss, it’s wrong. You can’t be banging your employees if you’re in charge and you can’t be banging your boss. It’s not right.
If it was consensual, as reported, I don’t feel it’s something he should be suspended for either. That’s their personal business, and now it’ll become the world’s business unfortunately because of some ridiculous rule. If they can keep the relationship out of the workplace, I don’t see what it matters what they do on their own time.
Two adults having a “consensual intimate relationship” as reason for suspension in the 21. century. Pathetic.
Sadly, U.S. society has never really left the backward prudery-laden fantasy world of the European religious nutjobs and witch burning outcasts that once invaded the North American continent.
Wahhhh americaaa wahhhhh. You’re welcome to get off this website and not pay any attention to AMERICAN sports if you are so upset
Man, Yum-Yum is expensive these days. He’s about to get suspended, lose his fiancé (Nia Long I might add – smh), and his rep will take a hit. A tall price to pay. That said, if she is on that Halle Berry circa 007 level, it might be worth it. Lol!
Hm… wonder if she’s married or something. If she isn’t, What happens if he ended up marrying this chick… for argument’s sake.
Sure, but what happens if they have a nasty breakup? Or worse? Celtics don’t want to be liable for it. That’s why they want these things not to happen especially from one of the head guys for the org.
Little digging and the person was likely Brad Stevens assistant.
It was Allison Feaster. V.P. Of Player Development. The Celtics even brought her along with the owners and Brad Stevens when they interviewed Udoka for the job.
Yea I’m not saying names because it’s their private business, but twitter had it either being her or the assistant.
Guy should have been smarter. In such a high profile job these things have huge risk (obviously with the suspension).
My dad told me… don’t stick your pen in company ink! Lol
Welcome to the 21st century, where your employer is still allowed to tell you who you can be in a relationship with.
Welcome to the Internet. Where everyone thinks they know the facts of a story because of a headline.
It’s to avoid lawsuits my man. If either one is a superior to the other then they break up etc. the subordination could claim retaliation etc. If they are equals in the chain of command then they should be allowed to date imo.
Yeah, the 21st c where thank goodness no boss can just insist that you bend over your office desk to keep your job.
What all of the people defending “freedom” in work relationships are disregarding is the power imbalance inherent in work relationships where one is higher up or supervises the other. It is inappropriate, can lead to improper privileges being given, or withheld depending on what’s happening in the relationship.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sexual harassment and hostile work environment. Both of those can occur when relationships happen in a supervisory setting, so most employers prohibit such relationships.