The stars were out Wednesday night for the Battle of Los Angeles, but one of the more unexpected attendees of the Lakers-Clippers game was former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka.
Former Celtics coach Ime Idoka is at the Crypt for Clippers-Lakers đź‘€
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/LT83fhJdsr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 6, 2023
The ex-Boston Celtics head coach was suspended for the season in September following an improper intimate relationship with a female Celtics staff member. Although most of the details are unclear, no team has actively hired Udoka since the scandal, but the Brooklyn Nets got close and other NBA teams have recently been tied to him. The Celtics decided to extend Joe Mazzulla, so at the very least Udoka won't be returning to Boston.
While Ime Udoka could've been in Los Angeles for a multitude of reasons on Wednesday night, Twitter speculated if he was potentially on the radar of the two L.A. squads:
The Clippers are going to hire Ime Udoka.
My god the Nets dropped the ball. This was the perfect coach for the team you have Joe Tsai. pic.twitter.com/50ZSCDvtLa
— Pod Thorn (Yves) (@PodThorn) April 6, 2023
Ime Udoka is in the crowd y’all know what to do @Lakers
— . (@scottsucks_) April 6, 2023
If Im Rob Pelinka Im pulling Ime Udoka to the side and handing him a blank check with “See you this Summer” written on the back https://t.co/wYikoR0eSt
— 👑 (@LakersGoat824) April 6, 2023
No head coaching positions are currently open in Los Angeles, but the Lakers have had a mediocre season so far and first-year coach Darvin Ham has not been blame-free.
Plus, after the Lakers' 125-118 loss to the Clippers, their hopes of escaping the 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament took a big hit. If the season ended today, L.A. would hold the seventh seed and take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
A failure to make the playoffs would certainly put Ham on the hot seat, and ime Udoka has an impressive resume that could entice some organizations.
The 45-year-old won a title with the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach and took the Celtics to their first Finals in over a decade last year. A squad like the Lakers, who are clearly in win-now mode, would possibly be willing to overlook Udoka's troubled past in order to boost their championship aspirations.
As for Tyronn Lue and the Clippers, there were recently some rumblings about him possibly departing, though those were quickly shot down.
What's in store for Ime Udoka's NBA future is definitely worth keeping an eye on as the 2022-23 season winds down.
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