Report: Celtics Hire Ime Udoka to Head Coaching Position

Since the postseason kicked off, multiple head coaching positions became available throughout the league. Out of all the spots that opened up, none was stranger than the moves made in Boston. 

Longtime general manager and former player Danny Ainge decided to step down from his position following the team's first-round playoff exit. It then came out that current coach Brad Stevens was stepping away from coaching and moving into the front office to replace Ainge. 

The first-time executive wasted little time leaving his mark on the franchise. His first move was shipping Kemba Walker to Oklahoma City in exchange for former Celtic Al Horford and now has found his head coach. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Celtics have come to terms on an agreement with Ime Udoka to become the head coach. This will be Udoka's first head coaching gig in the NBA. 

While he will be a first-time head coach, Udoka has spent more than enough time around the league. He played 316 games as a player across seven seasons and quickly moved into coaching following his playing days. 

Udoka spent seven years in San Antonio learning under Gregg Popovich as an assistant coach. He then spent one season in Philadelphia under Brett Brown before joining Steve Nash's staff in Brooklyn. 

Out of all the coaching vacancies, Boston's was one of the highly touted. Udoka will now be starting his head coaching career with a pair of young All-Stars who are getting ready to enter their prime years. 

The pressure will be on for Udoka. While the Celtics found themselves with an early exit this season, they have had multiple conference finals appearances in recent years. 

Udoka now is tasked with elevating Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and getting the Celtics back on top of the Eastern Conference. 

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.