MIAMI – Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka had to pay his dues before receiving the keys to lead an NBA team from the side.
After former coach Brad Stevens decided to hang him after eight seasons and head to the front desk, the franchise had a crucial decision to make during the low season of 2021.
Could the Celtics afford to hire a head-to-head coach to lead a team to the pinnacle of greatness? That was the million-dollar question once Udoka’s name began circulating as a potential candidate.
A year later, that question has an answer.
Udoka led the Celtics to the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years. They needed several interviews and heartaches before they got one of the 30 gorgeous NBA gigs.
“All I can say is that the disappointment of finishing second a few years ago hurt a lot,” Udoka told Yahoo Sports after the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Conference Finals on Sunday. East. “But if you tell me I should wait in Boston and get there [bypassed] for some of those who hit me, it’s a no-brainer for me. I’m happy to be in Boston. “
It turns out that Udoka is one of the low season pickups, if not the most appreciated. The Celtics got the gold, but what were the other teams where he finished second in his coaching pursuits?
“Do you really want me to tell you? Detroit, Indiana, Cleveland,” Udoka told Yahoo Sports. “I can get on the list. It was difficult because I think I was ready. But I couldn’t be more proud to be part of an organization that promotes victory and championships. You can be in a lot of different situations. There are only 30 teams and I understand that, but not being in a rebuild and being in a position of pressure is not going to change. “
Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka led his team to the NBA Finals in his first year at the helm. (Photo by AP / Michael Dwyer)
The 44-year-old coach is not new to the coaching fraternity.
He spent seven seasons as an assistant in San Antonio with Gregg Popovich before taking on the same role in Philadelphia with Brett Brown and finally in Brooklyn with Steve Nash before heading to Boston. His coaching career continued after a seven-year career in the NBA.
The story goes on
“I always had confidence when my name started coming out,” Udoka told Yahoo Sports. “It simply came to our notice then. Obviously being in San Antonio helped with that. The interview process started and there was a lot of interest, so it was a matter of time. I was a finalist in some destinations. Therefore, I always had full faith that it was a matter of proper adjustment. “
Although he was disappointed that each interview was accompanied by a rejection, he took the process calmly and looked inward.
“You try to improve and get feedback from interviews and how your weaknesses are perceived,” he told Yahoo Sports. “I think it’s easy for me. My career as a player, an officer, a role-playing player who only had two guaranteed contracts in my entire NBA career, prepared me for that. It’s always been “Try to get your head down and grind it and find a way to do it. Don’t blame anyone or any situation. Find out how to do it. This is what I’m really trying to convey to the team, but for me.” it is, stepping on it and keeping it moving.
“I was in a great learning situation in San Antonio. I had some great interviews and got better throughout the process, but it was a matter of adjustment. And so I couldn’t be happier with this group.”
Now, Udoka is credited as a defensive brain, an excellent communicator who stays balanced and one of the bright, young faces of the coaching profession. Black coaches now make up half of the league, a record at any time in the NBA’s tenure.
“I mean the test is in the pudding,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown told Yahoo Sports. “Look around the league. Now you’re starting to see what we can do in the ranks of coaches. It used to be said that certain people of color weren’t qualified to do their job or any excuse. Man, give those a chance guys and look what they’ve done with it. First year head coach Ime Udoka took us to the finals. Look at Monty Williams in Phoenix, look at Dallas with Jason Kidd. to see that they finally have a chance. Black coaches and people of color deserve it and are able to do the job like everyone else. “
Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka talks to Celtics striker Jayson Tatum and baseman Jaylen Brown during a postseason game. (Photo by AP / Lynne Sladky)
Udoka was a firm believer when he accepted the job that the tandem of Jayson Tatum and Brown could work on in the long run towards the aspirations of the championship.
The Celtics started slowly this season and Brown said he couldn’t help but hear calls to change him.
“This business talk was strong, and most of it came from Boston fans,” Brown told Yahoo Sports. “It simply came to our notice then. But really, at the beginning of the season we had a new coach, we had a new direction, I lost about 15 games at the beginning of the season and that made us not click on all the cylinders as we wanted. People were impatient, so I get it. But moving forward quickly, we have recovered, we have recovered everyone and now the sky is the limit. “
Game 1 of the NBA Finals begins Thursday against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. The Warriors are the big betting favorites in the series.
Udoka and Brown calmly take on the perceived status of underprivileged.
“We’ve been what we’ve been all year and our defense travels well and took us to the playoffs,” Udoka told Yahoo Sports. “We played well at Golden State this year. We attacked them in their place, we had a hard defeat at our place at the beginning of the season. And so is a new series. We know who we are and the things we do well, so we trust that. “
“The Warriors are a tough team to play against,” Brown told Yahoo Sports. “They are smart, experienced and have a lot of firepower. I am excited and looking forward to the challenge.”