Sixers Rival Celtics Suspend Head Coach for Entire Season

Following an impressive run to the 2022 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics are facing a ton of question marks going into the 2022-2023 NBA season.

As injuries have been piling up in the offseason, the organization is now dealing with a significant issue as former Philadelphia 76ers assistant and Boston's current head coach Ime Udoka is in hot water for his off-court actions with a team employee.

ESPN's NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday that Udoka was facing a suspension for the entire 2022-2023 season for his role in an intimate relationship with a female member of the Celtics' staff. Per Wojnarowski, Udoka's actions are a violation of Boston's rules.

"The relationship is considered a violation of the organization's guidelines, and the proposed penalty for Udoka is largely unprecedented for a sitting head coach in the NBA. A formal announcement is expected as soon as Thursday."

After a full day's worth of speculation, the Celtics officially decided on Udoka's punishment on Thursday night. In a team release, the Celtics announced that Udoka will miss the entire 2022-2023 season for "violations of team policies."

pic.twitter.com/ySo5wGKrfX
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 23, 2022

"The Boston Celtics announced today that the team has suspended Head Coach Ime Udoka for the 2022-23 season for violations of team policies. A decision about his future with the Celtics beyond this season will be made at a later date. The suspension takes effect immediately."

Shortly after Udoka's suspension became official, the head coach released a statement of his own, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews.

"I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down," wrote Udoka. "I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team's decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment."

Udoka's absence for the upcoming season certainly puts a question mark next to the Celtics. While the Celtics clearly possess the talent to make a title run, Udoka's leadership on the sidelines received a ton of praise throughout the past season as he was in the Coach of the Year conversation.

It's unclear if Udoka will be back in Boston beyond this year, but Celtics players will have to figure out how to move forward under new management for the season as they look to make another run for the NBA Finals.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.