Boston Celtics

Report: Nets Plan to Hire Celtics' Ime Udoka as New Head Coach After Steve Nash Firing

Report: Nets plan to hire Ime Udoka as head coach after firing Nash originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

We have quite the development on the NBA head coach front.

The Brooklyn Nets plan to hire suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka as their new head coach after firing Steve Nash on Tuesday, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports.

Udoka is serving a season-long suspension in Boston for violations of team policies. He's still technically under contract with the Celtics, so it's unclear whether Boston would get compensation from the Nets in return. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Udoka's hiring in Brooklyn could be finalized "as soon as the next 24-to-48 hours."

The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn suggested the Celtics are "pleased" with the work of Joe Mazzulla, who is 3-2 in his first five games as Boston's interim head coach.

Udoka has a strong connection to Brooklyn; he was an assistant coach on Nash's staff during the 2020-21 season before taking Boston's head coach job in June 2021, so he has worked with Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Still, he'll face an uphill battle with a Brooklyn team that has been marred by dysfunction and was swept out of the first round of the 2022 postseason by Udoka's Celtics.

Copyright RSN
Contact Us