Boston Celtics Hire Ime Udoka as Next Head Coach
Creator: Jesse D. Garrabrant | Credit: NBAE via Getty Images | Copyright: 2019 NBAE
The Boston Celtics have officially hired Ime Udoka to be their next head coach, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Rumors linking Udoka to the job have been swirling for the past few days. The team made the deal official today, according to Woj. The signing came in tandem with approval from several key players.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart all gave their stamp of approval for the move. Udoka was an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s staff on Team USA. All three players played on that team.
Udoka played seven seasons in the NBA from 2002-2012. He played for five different franchises, spending three of them with the San Antonio Spurs.
His coaching experience is far more impressive than his playing career, however. He began his coaching career with the Spurs in 2012, before moving on to spend time with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. Udoka spent this past season coaching under Steve Nash in Brooklyn.
As reports come out of the deal, it seems as though there is nothing but praise for Udoka. In an old interview, Popovich spoke about his coaching abilities at length.
Old quotes from Udoka himself have also surfaced. It seems as though he will bring a defensive-minded system to Boston. After the rough year they had on the defensive end, that could be exactly the change they need.
Udoka should bring a fresh perspective to the Celtics, something Brad Stevens emphasized in the coaching search. His experience as a player combined with his coaching experience catapulted him to the top of Stevens’ list.
His extreme confidence should fit in perfectly with the Celtics as they attempt to conquer the Eastern Conference. This will be Udoka’s first head coaching opportunity.
