When Ime Udoka was suspended by the Celtics in September 2022 over an improper workplace relationship, his only comments were a brief, scripted statement of apology. Since then, the 45-year-old has kept a low profile, and his season-long suspension became a parting of ways once Joe Mazzulla became the permanent head coach in Boston.
On Wednesday, however, Udoka was back in the public spotlight as part of his introductory press conference with the Houston Rockets.
Though the Rockets did their due diligence with both the Celtics and NBA league office as part of the hiring process, there were still hard questions to be asked of general manager Rafael Stone, owner Tilman Fertitta and especially Udoka, himself, regarding the process.
Aside from the scandal, Udoka’s one year as head coach in Boston was brilliant, punctuated by a trip to the 2022 NBA Finals. He had spent nine seasons as an assistant and many years as an NBA player, including a seven-year stint on the bench of legendary head coach Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Rockets, of course, hope the baggage will eventually become a distant memory and believe the hire’s clear basketball merits will be worth any initial backlash. For now, it’s a fine line to walk.
While Udoka didn’t go into specifics, he expressed remorse for the situation and vowed to learn from it moving forward. Here’s a roundup of what both Stone and Udoka had to say about the scandal.