Jaylen Brown was 'Shocked' by Sudden End to Ime Udoka's Celtics Tenure, but Hopes 'He Gets Another Chance Coaching Again'

When the Celtics went through their hiring process to find a new head coach, Jaylen Brown advocated for Ime Udoka.

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Ime Udoka helped the Celtics engineer the most impressive in-season turnaround in NBA history, going from 11th in the East in mid-January to coming within two wins of capturing banner 18.

Udoka held players accountable, and his firm approach helped instill confidence in his team, evidenced by the defending conference champions' ability to go to Milwaukee with their season on the line and emerge victorious, then do the same in Miami, securing a Game 7 win that sent them to the NBA Finals.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Udoka was removed from the Celtics; suspended for the 2022-23 season due to violations of team policies. At a subsequent press conference, team owner Wyc Grousbeck stated the organization's decision was "well warranted and appropriate."

In his place, Joe Mazzulla has helped guide Boston to a 49-23 record, second-best in the East and the entire NBA. For his role in the Celtics' success, the franchise removed the interim tag from the league's youngest active head coach (34 years old) at the start of the All-Star break.

Before earning All-Star Game MVP honors, Jayson Tatum expressed earlier that weekend Udoka was "probably my most favorite coach I’ve ever had, and that’s not a knock on anybody."

"Somebody I talk to throughout the season periodically, reaching out," conveyed Tatum, according to the Washington Post’s Tramel Raggs. "Whatever happened, happened, and doesn’t have anything to do with me. I can’t take away the relationship that me and him have, the impact that he had on me in that one season. I love (former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski), I love Brad (Stevens), (and) I love Joe. I love all those guys. But just a different kind of relationship I had with Ime."

Fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown shared his perspective on Udoka's departure in an interview with The Ringer's Logan Murdock.

"I didn’t know how to feel. I was a little bit shocked, to be honest," Brown confessed. "It was not the vibe; you know what I mean? That’s the way I always describe it. It was not good vibes."

He went on to express of the coach he endorsed when the Celtics were going through their hiring process, "I hope Ime is doing well," adding, "I haven’t talked to him, but I hope he gets another chance coaching again. There were some conflictions on the information that was kind of going around and stuff like that…that has put some dirt on his name. It’s a lot. It’s very nuanced.

"So, whether you stood on this side or this side, they was going to find wrong from a coach that I advocated to bring here to Boston. I wanted to see him back on his feet here, no matter what it was. I don’t think that’s the wrong thing to feel."

Further Reading

Celtics' Jaylen Brown Reportedly Contacted Jayson Tatum, Brad Stevens About Trade Rumors

[Film Room] the Primary Problem Plaguing the Celtics' Crunch-Time Defense

Jayson Tatum Says He Has No Issue with Others Taking the Game-Deciding Shot: 'I'm Just Trying to Win'

Celtics Discuss What Went Wrong on the Final Play in Their Loss vs. the Jazz

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Jazz: Boston Outplayed in Crunch-Time

Jaylen Brown Wants the Celtics to Get Back to the Defensive Identity that Helped them Reach the Finals

Jayson Tatum Made the Face of New Gatorade Ad Campaign