Ime Udoka spoke publicly on Wednesday for the first time since he was suspended by the Celtics in September, and showed remorse and accountability for the actions that led to his dismissal from Boston.
Udoka – who was being introduced as the new head coach of the Houston Rockets – was issued a season-long suspension by the Celtics after committing violations of team policies, reportedly for having an improper intimate relationship with a female member of the organization. The Celtics ultimately cut ties with him in February, when they made Joe Mazzulla their full-time head coach, which allowed Udoka to explore new opportunities.
Udoka did not reveal any details about what led to his exit with the Celtics, but was apologetic and remorseful about what happened. The coach was joined by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and general manager Rafael Stone, who explained how they did their due diligence and got approval from the league before hiring Udoka.
Below is a Q-and-A transcript of select questions from Wednesday’s press conference.
Q: Ime, you left Boston under a cloud and some controversy. What can you tell us about that situation and why do you feel it was right for the Rockets to hire you anyway?
UDOKA: “I would say in general, like Tilman alluded to, they’ve done their due diligence and homework on who I am as a person. I think we spent quality time together, getting to know each other, and clicked pretty easily and pretty well. But overall, I released a statement months ago when everything happened and apologized to a lot of people for the tough position I put them in, and I stand by that. I feel much more remorse even now towards that. I spent this last offseason working on myself in a lot of different ways, improving in areas, chance to sit back, reflect and grow. And I think that will make me a better coach and overall a better leader. But, the situation, the matter has been resolved and I can’t really speak much about it.”
Q: Did the Rockets have access to the independent investigation that the Celtics commissioned?
STONE: “We did diligence not just on him, but on every candidate we have. We do it on every important hire. And so what I would say is we got comfortable that it was an appropriate hire and we were comfortable in the process. But just the same way I wouldn’t talk about exactly what we did with anybody else, I’m not going to talk about it with Ime. It’s just, in my view, it’s not appropriate.”
FERTITTA: “It was very important to me to feel good, and when I have questions, and I always get honest answers. And I’ve had enough conversations with him to know how they feel about certain people and certain things and they definitely have an opinion. The NBA told me that they felt very comfortable with Ime becoming the coach of the Houston Rockets. And so that made me feel really good after a lengthy, lengthy conversation with him.”
Q: For Ime, are you able to elaborate on the work that you said you did and some of that reflection and maybe what you learned from it?
UDOKA: “Yeah, I mean, just having that time off and a full understanding of how many people you impact by a poor decision. That’s where you start with the ownership and accountability. I preach that to the players, and so I have to take full responsibility for my part in it. I took leadership and sensitivity training, and some counseling with my son to help him improve the situation that I put him in, and so I spent the year – you can grow from adversity, and I think I’ve done that this year.”
Q: Do you feel like the Celtics were justified in the actions that they took against you?
UDOKA: “Yeah I mean honestly, my part in it was to take ownership and accountability for my part. They had a choice to make a decision, and they went that route and my thing was own up to it, take responsibility. I served the suspension and had to own it, honestly. So, same thing I’ll preach to the guys. I can’t sit here and not take accountability for myself. It was their right to go about it however they wanted to and that’s the choice they took”
Q: Ime, how much of what you’ve been through has helped you make a better man and a better coach?
UDOKA: “It’s what I mentioned earlier. The steps that you take when you’re dealing with adversity, there can be some beneficial things that come out of it. It would have been a waste of a year if I sat back and sulked about certain things, but I took steps in a process to prove myself, become a better father, a better family member to people I hurt, and honestly, I think going forward, those things that I learned and worked on will help me become a better coach and leader. So, I looked at this as another challenge in how am I going to handle this adversity? And so, I feel like I went about it the right way and will continue to work on that.”
Q: When the news broke about you being hired as the head coach, a lot of your former players in Boston and even the head coach there had a lot of positive things to say about you. He said that second chances, he believes in second chances and opportunities because he benefited from one. When you hear things like that, how does that make you feel?
UDOKA: “I think it’s big. It’s really the character of who you are, is the people who really know you. Not only in a tough situation, but throughout the years. Tilman said he’s talked to people going back to my playing days, obviously coaches who I’ve worked with and then to hear those things is big. It’s what means the most to me. The relationships with the guys and ultimately seeing them do well is what I do it for. And so, to hear the players come out and say that, I got texts and calls from everybody I’ve coached with across the board, along the way, so that’s what it’s all about to me. I don’t get caught up in speculation and social media and things that are being said, the people that don’t know the truth. More so, the people that know me is what’s important to me. Same thing with the players, and so it’s big hearing them say that about me.”
Q: Have you had to weigh people who have had backlash towards the hire? Have you seen any negative reaction from your season ticket holders and what is your response to those who say this second chance wasn’t warranted?
FERTITTA: “That they’re not a good Christian person. … We’re a forgiving society, and everybody makes mistakes. Some things maybe we shouldn’t forgive people for, but I think what happened in his personal situation is definitely something we forgive for.”
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