Before the 2021-2022 season began, Brad Stevens moved up to a front office role, leaving his job as head coach unfilled. Due to this, Ime Udoka was chosen to be the new head coach. The Celtics’ beginning to the season was pretty rough, winning only 47% of their games. This all changed, however, when the new year started. The Celtics went on an incredible run, winning 34 games, and only losing 12. 

As a result of this run, the Celtics managed to finish at the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Udoka came in fourth place for the Coach of the Year award. This, along with the Celtics’ young talents, helped lead them to the finals, where they ultimately lost to the Golden State Warriors. 

With the new season starting soon, many believed that Udoka could have taken the Celtics deep into the playoffs again. Then, news of a major scandal involving Udoka surfaced. A female coworker of Udoka accused him of using “crude language” towards her prior to their consensual, yet improper, relationship. 

While all of this was occurring, Udoka was in a relationship with Nia Long. They met in 2010, and got engaged in 2015. Long already had one child before her relationship with Udoka, and the two of them had a child together as well, named Kez Sunday Udoka, who was born in 2011. 

The Celtics eventually decided that they would suspend Udoka for the entirety of the 2022-2023 season. Celtics’ owner, Wyc Grousbeck stated that there won’t be a decision on Udoka’s future with the organization until a later date, although it is likely that he will no longer be the head coach of the Celtics after this season. 

For now, previous assistant coach, Joe Mazzulla, will take over for Udoka this upcoming season. Previously, Mazzulla had been the head coach of the Fairmont State College Basketball team as well as the assistant coach for the Celtics G-League team, the Maine Celtics. Mazzulla’s lack of experience as an NBA head coach is beginning to worry many Celtics fans, and many believe that the Celtics’ chances of making it deep into the playoffs are slim.