Ime Udoka Opens Up About Return to Boston: 'Built a Special Relationship'

Saturday, Ime Udoka returns to Boston for the first time since helping lead the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals.

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Saturday night, the Boston Celtics, who may still be unbeaten at TD Garden this season, entering Wednesday's tilt against the Minnesota Timberwolves 17-0 on their parquet, matching a franchise record, welcome the Houston Rockets to town.

That means the return of Ime Udoka, their former bench boss who helped guide the C's to the 2022 NBA Finals in his lone season with the franchise.

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He's helped lead the Rockets to an 18-17 record, good enough for eighth in the Western Conference. Even with the additions of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, that far exceeds most people's expectations for a team that went 22-60 last season, tying the San Antonio Spurs for the second-worst mark in the NBA.

Ahead of Udoka's first trip back to TD Garden since a suspension for violations of team policies led to his exit, he spoke with Marc Spears of Andscape about a range of topics related to Saturday's return.

"My [Celtics] players will reach out and talk about how proud they are about what we're doing and then vice versa. I see what they're doing as well," he told Andscape on Dec. 17. "The biggest piece from just being there for only one season was those relationships we formed. And some of those guys I'll talk to for the rest of our lives. And so, there is a close bond, and you look back at what could have been, but also understand the impact you had and the relationships [you built] will continue to have going forward."

Marcus Smart, whose return to Boston is less than a month after Udoka's, taking place on Feb. 4, expressed to Andscape of his former head coach, "Ime is great. Obviously, under the circumstances, we didn't get to give it another run, and it really showed."

The Celtics' former floor general continued, "For somebody as a first-year head coach to come in and take the team that he had with Boston, not only to the Finals but halfway through the season be right at .500 and then take the team to the Finals, that's not really heard of too often. And we got to give him his credit right there. We built a special relationship.

"Ime played. As a [former] player, he understands a lot of the things we go through as players. That connection only gets stronger when you can talk to somebody in control as a coach or somebody that's out there that understands what you're going through."

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Udoka attended Smart's wedding in Los Angeles during the summer, which represented an opportunity to spend time with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams, Brad Stevens, and his successor in Boston, Joe Mazzulla.

"We talk regularly, all of them," Udoka said of his relationships with his former players. "During the year, they checked on me when they could. Obviously, we talked initially, and then I gave them the space to do what they do, and they did the same. But I caught quite a bit of them in the offseason in L.A. (when) I went to Marcus Smart's wedding."

On a similar note, the Celtics' former bench boss, who played seven years in the NBA, also conveyed what he missed the most while serving his suspension.

"I missed the day-to-day with the guys. Obviously, it's all about the players. Once you've played, it's very similar to the day-to-day relationships and camaraderie and bonding with the guys," he stated. "I don't think that changed as much as a coach. I think (that) most coaches would say, 'X's and O's is great, playing the games is great, but being around guys and those relationships you form is probably the biggest thing.'"

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Udoka's also not dodging the subject of his suspension and departure from the Celtics.

"That's obviously going to be the elephant in the room," he relayed to Andscape. "You have to talk about it going forward, obviously going into a new situation. For me, it was what I could learn from that year off and how you can grow and improve. I've always been one to preach and be about accountability. So, you got to do that yourself when you're in that situation. So, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for me.

"It wasn't something that I was going to sweep under the rug. You have to address what you've been through, what you learned throughout that year, and how you can be better going forward. So, that's the only way I know how to do it. Hit it head-on and start talking about other things."

And while Udoka's unsure what type of reaction he'll receive from the TD Garden faithful, Saturday's game is a meaningful step for him as he continues moving forward.

"You might think for a minute what it'll be like going back," he expressed. "But big picture, it's not the thing that's at the forefront of my mind."

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