Since 2010, Udoka has been dating actress Nia Long; the two are parents of a 10-year-old boy.
According to sources who spoke to PEOPLE, Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is considering a suspension after being accused of having an intimate relationship with a staff member.
According to ESPN, which broke the news first, the hired head coach’s relationship with the staffer is seen as a violation of team policies. Information on the disciplinary sanction could be published as early as Thursday. Since they first met in 2010, Udoka has been in a relationship with Fatal Affair actress Nia Long. The two are parents to Kez Sunday, 10, and in May 2015 they officially announced their engagement.
According to ESPN, the organization is reportedly considering suspending Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season, but insiders say it’s doubtful his job is in long-term jeopardy. The Celtics’ home opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 18 is still a month away.
Former basketball player Udoka, 45, enjoyed a successful second career as an NBA coach. He worked under head coach Gregg Popovich for seven years with the San Antonio Spurs, who won a championship in 2014.
Udoka worked as an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers after leaving the team in 2019. He became the Celtics’ head coach in 2021, and in his first season in charge he guided the team through to the NBA Finals in 2022. His second year with the team was to begin this one. In six games, Boston lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals last season. However, the club, making their first appearance in the final since 2010, have seen significant improvement.
Almost ten years have passed since Long, 51, and Udoka got engaged. They felt comfortable without having a wedding ceremony, and she told Essence in 2020. The Boston Globe claims the couple first connected in Boston in February 2010. When they were both in town, Udoka, then playing for the Sacramento Kings against the Boston Celtics and Long, who was filming a pilot for NBC, a mutual friend hooked them up.
The couple told PEOPLE in 2011 that they were expecting their first child together. When Long posted a video of herself dancing in celebration after Udoka and the Celtics were guaranteed a trip to the 2022 NBA Finals, the video quickly went viral. “Yes!!!” Nearly 3 million people have seen the video on Twitter since it was posted last May.
Udoka allegedly had an “inappropriate consenting personal connection with a female team staff member”, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania early Thursday morning. Wojnarowski pointed out that Udoka’s conduct was against company policy.
Boston Celtics assistant coach Joe Mazzulla has become Udoka’s most likely replacement, Wojnarowski said.
The 34-year-old joined Boston’s coaching staff in 2019. He played for West Virginia from 2006-2011 and was part of the Mountaineers’ Final Four-bound team from 2009-2010. He previously served as head coach and assistant coach at Fairmont State, and he also worked as an assistant coach for the Maine Celtics of the G League.
Will Hardy would have been the logical choice for interim head coach had the Jazz not hired him to replace Quin Snyder in June. Hardy was Udoka’s top staff assistant during the 2021-22 season. According to reports, Utah spoke with Mazzulla before picking Hardy.
