Celtics Coach Ime Udoka Faces Suspension After Alleged Affair with Staffer
Ime Udoka, head coach of the Boston Celtics, is going by a that you just almost certainly can contemplate of suspension after he allegedly had a consensual intimate relationship with a girl on the crew’s workers,sources verify to PEOPLE.
The affair between the engaged head coach and the staffer is conception of as a violation of crew pointers, ESPN, who changed into first to myth the news, acknowledged, and updates on the disciplinary action may well well possibly come as soon as Thursday. Udoka has been in a relationship with longtime lady friend, Deadly Affair actress Nia Long, since they met in 2010. The 2 portion a 10-year-damaged-down son, Kez Sunday, and confirmed their engagement in Might possibly possibly perhaps additionally just 2015.
ESPN reviews that the crew is discussing a that you just almost certainly can contemplate of suspension for Udoka for the total 2022-23 season, but sources impart it’s no longer seemingly that his converse is totally in jeopardy. The Celtics are a month away from starting up the season with an Oct. 18 dwelling recreation against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Ime Udoka.
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Udoka, 45, is a old school professional basketball participant who has had a a hit 2d occupation as a coach within the NBA. He spent seven years with head coach Gregg Popovich on the San Antonio Spurs, with the crew a hit a championship in 2014.
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Since leaving the crew in 2019, Udoka served as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. He joined the Celtics in 2021 as a head coach and led the crew to the 2022 NBA Finals in his first year on the helm. This changed into place of dwelling to be his 2d season with the franchise.
At some stage in final season’s NBA Finals, Boston fell in six games to the Golden Speak Warriors. Nonetheless it changed into a predominant development for the crew, which changed into making its first Finals appearance since 2010.
Long, 51, and Udoka had been engaged for virtually a decade. She suggested Essence in 2020 that they had been elated no longer maintaining a wedding ceremony ceremony.
“Love is complicated, let’s upright birth there,” Long acknowledged. “And then you birth a marriage, which I’ve by no plan been married. And there is a motive for that because I do now not know that I need to voice ‘I gather’ to show shroud to you that I admire you.”
“But additionally, what does marriage no doubt [mean]… that you just have me now and I have you?” she added. “I don’t gather that allotment.”
Nia Long and Ime Udoka.
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
In accordance with the Boston Globe, the couple first met in Boston in February 2010. A mutual buddy place of dwelling them up after they had been every within town; Long changed into filming a pilot for NBC and Udoka, who changed into on the Sacramento Kings on the time, changed into playing against the Boston Celtics.
In 2011, the pair completely published to PEOPLE that they had been waiting for their first petite one collectively.
“Here’s the most palatable time in our lives,” they suggested PEOPLE in a assertion on the time. “Words cannot converse how overjoyed we’re by the brand new addition to our family. We no doubt feel no doubt blessed and admire the total successfully needs and prayers.”
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After Udoka and the Celtics secured their day crawl to the 2022 NBA Finals, Long went viral when she posted a video of her dancing in occasion.
“Yes!!!” Long wrote within the caption of the video, which got nearly 3 million views on Twitter since it changed into posted in Might possibly possibly perhaps additionally just of final year.
