Celtics' Brad Steven Addresses Ime Udoka Situation as Team Promotes Joe Mazzulla

What will come next for Udoka?

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics officially have their head coach for the future.

It seemed as though Ime Udoka would be the team's long-term head coach after leading the squad to the NBA Finals last season, but he was suspended for the 2022-23 campaign just before training camp began and he and the club have stayed quiet about the details behind the suspension.

Joe Mazzulla took over the reins as the team's interim head coach but was promoted this week and now officially is the team's head coach and is replacing Udoka. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens addressed the move but continued stay mum on Udoka.

"I'm not really gonna go into all that," Stevens said. "I think at the end of the day -- we said it in our original statement long ago that decision will be made at a later date. So, we wanted to make sure we were thorough. We were really focused on our team from that day on, right?

"We were really focused on making sure that we are all able to put our best foot forward. Again, I thought that the players' leadership, staff's leadership and Joe's leadership have all stood out during that time. That's why we made the decision now."

Udoka now can pursue coaching opportunities in other organizations and likely will be find one at some point. There's no way to know for sure what happened with him and the Celtics, but now that he no longer is employed by Boston, maybe we will find out in the not-so-distant future.

Further Reading

Joe Mazzulla Opens Up About Celtics Naming Him Head Coach: 'a Dream Come True'

Brad Stevens Discusses Decision to Remove Interim Tag from Joe Mazzulla's Title: 'The Hardest Thing to Do Would Be Going into the Playoffs Looking Over Your Shoulder'

The Layers of the Celtics Naming Joe Mazzulla Head Coach

Jayson Tatum Shares His Reaction to Shorthanded Celtics Nearly Beating the Bucks

Celtics Discuss Marcus Smart's Return to the Lineup: 'I Think We Missed Him a Lot; We missed His Joy'

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Pistons: Hosts Don't Let History Repeat Itself

Grant Williams Reportedly Seeking Contract In the $20 Million Annually Range

Celtics Reportedly 'Engaged' with Several Potential Buyout Candidates