What happened to Ime Udoka? Revisiting scandal that brought former Celtics coach's tenure to abrupt end

The Celtics came up short in the 2022 NBA Finals, but few teams finished the season with a brighter future than Boston.

With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as on-court leaders, the Celtics knew they had a chance to return to the Finals in the near future. They're now four wins away from doing just that — but without the coach they once firmly believed could take them to the next level.

Ime Udoka's stunning exit from Boston forced assistant Joe Mazzulla into one of the NBA's premier jobs as head coach of the Celtics, a role he has embraced despite some of the highest expectations in the sport. After a 64-win season, the Celtics believe they can win a title with Mazzulla. Udoka, meanwhile, is nearly forgotten two years after the franchise's deepest run in more than a decade.

Here's a look back at Udoka's unceremonious exit from the Celtics and where he is now.

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What happened to Ime Udoka?

Udoka's rise that made him one of the best young coaches in the NBA came to an abrupt halt in September 2022 when the Celtics suspended him for the entire 2022-23 season for violating team policies. It remains the longest suspension for a head coach in NBA history.

Udoka engaged in "an intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise's staff," which broke team rules, according to ESPN . He also allegedly used "crude language" toward the woman, who was considered a subordinate.

Udoka, who was in a long-term relationship with his fiance at the time of these events, was never guaranteed to return to the Celtics and never did. Mazzulla's interim tag was removed in February 2023.

Despite Udoka's issues with the Celtics, the former Spurs assistant still drew interest from other teams. The Nets initially planned to hire Udoka as their head coach just weeks after he was suspended, but Brooklyn soured on the idea largely because of the improper relationship, instead sticking with interim coach Jacque Vaughn. The Rockets didn't waste much time hiring Udoka after the season, bringing him in to replace Stephen Silas.

Asked for the first time about the relationship during his introductory press conference in Houston, Udoka said he "spent this last offseason working on myself in a lot of different ways, improving in areas, and it gave me a chance to sit back, reflect, and grow."

Udoka went 41-41 in his first season as Rockets coach, overseeing a 19-win improvement from 2022-23 with the help of an 11-game win streak late in the season. He appears to be locked in as Houston's long-term head coach after the tumultuous exit in Boston.

Did the Celtics fire Ime Udoka?

There was never any formal statement announcing Udoka's firing, but team president Brad Stevens revealed when Mazzulla was named the Celtics' full-time head coach that the organization had officially parted ways with Udoka.

Initial reporting indicated Udoka was far from guaranteed to return as Boston's head coach after the suspension, and the Celtics told Udoka he was free to talk to other teams. While his deal to coach the Nets wasn't finalized, it was a clear sign that the two sides planned to officially move on.

The Celtics were upset by the Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, but they stayed committed to Mazzulla and instead re-tooled the roster by bringing in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis while trading Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon. Mazzulla is now eight wins away from immortality as the Celtics' championship-or-bust season nears a conclusion one way or another.

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How old is Joe Mazzulla?

The decision to remove Mazzulla's interim tag during his first season as head coach raised a few eyebrows despite the Celtics' success. His age was likely a major reason.

Mazzulla was only 34 when he ascended to the head coaching role. He's now 35, set to turn 36 in June, and remains the NBA's youngest head coach.

While the reason for Boston's disappointing exit in 2023 can be debated, Mazzulla has seemed up to the task this season. The Celtics finished at least 14 games better than every other team in the East, and they only lost two games over the first two rounds of the playoffs despite some closer-than-expected contests.

Mazzulla had three years of experience as an NBA assistant when he replaced Udoka, having also spent time as a G League assistant and a head coach at NCAA Division II Fairmont State.