Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022-23 NBA season by the Boston Celtics after he had an affair with a female staffer on the team.
At one point, ESPN’s Jalen Rose said the woman’s name should be released to the public. It still has not been.
On Friday night’s “NBA Countdown” on ESPN, Rose apologized for making that statement.
ESPN Analyst Jalen Rose speaks before Game 7 of the 2022 NBA Eastern Conference finals May 29, 2022, at FTX Arena in Miami, Fla.
(Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
“I would like to apologize for a comment I made earlier on ‘NBA Countdown.’ I questioned why a woman’s name who had an alleged affair with Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was not made public.
“After an internal investigation, and it was discovered that she was a subordinate to the head coach, I now understand fully why her name should not be released to the public.”
The affair was a violation of team policies, and former NBA veteran Matt Barnes said the situation is “100 times uglier than any of us thought.”
“It’s not about what he did, it’s about who he did it with that is really going to kind of flip the game upside down when it comes to this instance,” Barnes said. “This is not something that’s only the NBA. This happens in the workplace all around. But, like I said, it’s not so much the act.”
CELTICS’ IME UDOKA SCANDAL MUCH WORSE BEHIND THE SCENES, NBA CHAMP SAYS
The staffer arranged travel logistics with the team.
The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly in the final stages of hiring Udoka to be their head coach after they fired Steve Nash earlier this week. The Celtics reportedly would allow Udoka to leave the organization without expecting any compensation from the Nets.
ESPN Analyst Jalen Rose poses for a photo during Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors June 5, 2022, at Chase Center in San Francisco.
(Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images)
Udoka was an assistant under Nash with the Nets in the 2020-21 season. Jacque Vaughn is currently the acting head coach.
Udoka has been in a relationship with actress Nia Long since 2010, but they never married.
Source: Fox News
