Ime Udoka ‘Not Too Sentimental’ Ahead of Meeting With the Boston Celtics

Getty Ime Udoka returns to Boston for the first time as an opposing head coach.

As the Boston Celtics look to move on from their embarrassing loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, January 11, former Celtics coach Ime Udoka will also hope to put the ending to his one-year stint with the Celtics in the rear-view mirror for good.

Udoka returns to TD Garden on Saturday for the first time as head coach of the Houston Rockets and is likely to be peppered with questions about returning to the scene where he had many up and downs during his short stint. He gave a quick preview of his feelings on coming back to Boston during a press conference Friday night, saying he’s “not too sentimental” and hopes to treat this game like any other.

Ime Udoka Experienced the Good and the Bad With the Boston Celtics

Udoka had quite the rollercoaster ride during his one year as head coach with the Celtics. On the court, his team struggled early, posting a 25-25 record through the first 50 games of the 2021-22 season. Game 51 began a string of nine straight wins that helped Boston to a 22-3 record over the next 50 games.

The Celtics reached the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Although they fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games, it was widely considered their most successful season since the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce days.

Things fell apart for Udoka during the offseason.

The Celtics suspended him for the entire 2022-23 season for violating multiple team policies, including having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization, according to NBA.com.

That led to a scandal that involved several women on Boston’s staff who were singled as possibly being the one involved in the situation. Brad Stevens, Celtics president of basketball operations, addressed that during a press conference addressing Udoka’s suspension back then.

“We have a lot of talented women in our organization. I thought yesterday was really hard on them,” Stevens said, per NBA.com. “Nobody can control Twitter speculation, rampant (expletive), but I do think that we as an organization have a responsibility to make sure we’re there to support them now. Because a lot of people were dragged unfairly into that.”

Udoka Briefly Addressed His Return a Day Before Coming to Boston

Udoka became the head coach of the Rockets this season and has helped guide the young team to a 19-18 record heading into Saturday’s meeting with the Celtics.

The visiting Rockets suffered a scare against the lowly Pistons on Friday but pulled out a 112-110 victory. After the game, he was asked about his upcoming return to Boston. He briefly addressed it after a reporter asked if tomorrow’s matchup against his former team will feel like a different type of game for him.

“No, not really,” Udoka said. “I look at one at a time and was not thinking ahead of Detroit at all tonight. For me, you go back to somewhere where you had some success, but overall I’d say I’m not too sentimental of a person and won’t get caught up in anything like that.”