ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy defends Ime Udoka’s character, believes he’ll get another shot at coaching

Celtics Ime Udoka received a season-long suspension for breaking the Celtics’ personal conduct policy. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

While several people wonder whether or not Ime Udoka should get a second chance at coaching, ESPN NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy voiced some support for the suspended Celtics coach.

During ESPN’s telecast of Friday’s Celtics-Heat game, Van Gundy supported Udoka’s chances to get another coaching job in the NBA while iterating multiple times he wasn’t sure what happened in Boston that led to him getting suspended.

“I want to make sure, because I feel strongly about this, Ime Udoka, I don’t know everything about that situation, but I know there’s a way back,” Van Gundy said. “And I’m not condoning or condemning anything that he did. Like I said, I don’t know anything about that situation other than, Ime Udoka I worked with for two years with USA Basketball. And he’s proven obviously to be a terrific, terrific coach, but beyond that, I know how he treated me. That’s how I judge people. I think he’s a terrific man.

“Whether it’s with the Celtics or some other team, people insinuating that he’ll never get another opportunity, I think are dead wrong. He will be back, and I think he will be better than ever.”

Udoka made similar comments in defense of Udoka to the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn earlier in October.

“I think it’s important to state right up front I am biased,” Van Gundy told Washburn. “I am not here to condone or condemn Ime. I sat across from him and was on the same staff with him at the last World Cup and the Olympics, and we just happened to sit right across from each other at most meals. And I feel very, very strongly about him. I only judge people by how they treat me and he has been just a great friend to me, and I feel for him and his family.

“I believe in him both as a coach and a person, again from what my experiences have been with him, and I hope that whether it’s in Boston or another spot that he’s able to regain his coaching career very soon because he did an incredibly good job with that Boston team.”

Udoka received a season-long suspension in September for breaking the team’s conduct policy. It’s been reported that Udoka had an intimate relationship with a team employee that began as a consensual relationship before he made “unwanted comments” toward the female employee. Not many other specifics about what Udoka did have been reported outside of that, with former NBA player Matt Barnes, saying the situation is far worse than what’s been reported so far.

The Celtics hired an outside law firm to investigate Udoka’s actions before suspending him on Sept. 22. The suspension is effective until June 30, 2023. However, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck made no assurances that Udoka will return as the team’s head coach when that date arrives.

Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla will get “every opportunity” to remove the interim tag and become the full-time head coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday. In addition, Wojnarowski reported that the Celtics would likely let Udoka pursue opportunities elsewhere if he opts to do so.

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