Even though he’s no longer with them upon his scandalous exit, Ime Udoka remains ecstatic about how the Boston Celtics have managed to get over the hump and win it all.
Meeting his former team for the first time after they clinched the 2024 NBA championship, Udoka simply offered his praise and congratulations to the Celtics for getting the job done last season.
“Happy for them for sure and not surprised,” Udoka said in pregame of his Houston Rockets’ 109-86 loss against Boston. “It was coming regardless and so taking the steps that they had before I got there and then the year I was there, obviously, falling short that year. I know it fueled everybody to get back and was motivated to get it done when I got there.
“I’m extremely excited for them and not surprised about the jump they took.”
In his first experience as a head coach, Udoka notably took over as the play-caller of the Celtics in the 2021-22 season. After a poor start, he mustered the group into a remarkable season turnaround and defensive masterclass by securing 51 wins and entry to the NBA Finals in which they lost to six hard-fought games against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
As he and the Celtics were strongly positioned to run things back in the following season, news suddenly broke out in the summer of 2022 that Udoka had an inappropriate relationship with a female team staffer, prompting the franchise leadership to suspend him indefinitely. As such, he was eventually dismissed and replaced by his assistant coach Joe Mazzulla.
Under Mazzulla, the Celtics maintained their status as one of the league’s heavyweights. And just last season, the 36-year-old mentor proceeded to guide the team to a historic 64-win campaign and 18th championship.
From afar as now the head coach of the young and rising Rockets team, Udoka fully witnessed how the Celtics have grown tremendously in all aspects ever since he was at the helm.
As such, he couldn’t be more thrilled about what awaits Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the Celtics in the future after the maturity they took and finally getting that taste of ultimate victory
Yet at the end of the day, the Celtics fully acknowledge that they wouldn’t reach their current position if it wasn’t for Udoka’s approach during their brief, yet fulfilling run.
“Just that physicality and toughness he loves and he kinda instilled in us all of the players,” Derrick White said of what he learned from Udoka, who had two separate partnerships with him in both the Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs.
“Just kind of having that [mentality] and don’t back down from anything.”
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