Gregg Popovich Opens Up On The Current State Of His Relationship With Ime Udoka

“He’s a very good friend. He always will be," Popovich said.

Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Gregg Popovich shed light on his relationship with the suspended Boston Celtics coach, Ime Udoka, and safe to say it's all love for the latter.

The confirmation from Popovich himself when he spoke to reporters ahead of the Spurs' contest against the Celtics, adding that Udoka remains a good friend despite all the controversy.

According to team insider Sean Grande:

“He’s a very good friend. He always will be. So you feel for people that get caught up into a situation. But I’m not a judge and jury and our friendship will continue.”

Popovich has worked with Udoka for years, so their good friendship isn't a surprise. Udoka served as his assistant from 2012 to 2019 before he moved to other franchises like the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and eventually the Celtics.

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The Boston Celtics Have Been The Team To Beat Under Interim Coach Joe Mazzulla

The Celtics have been on a roll this season, winning 28 of their 40 games, taking first place in the Eastern Conference. They are bonafide title contenders and have been the team to beat.

Much of the credit goes to interim coach Joe Mazzulla who has taken over the team in Udoka's absence. Earlier, the team's vital cogs, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, were vocal about the suspended coach's influence on the team. Per The Athletic, Tatum said:

“Ime deserves as much credit as anybody. Ime deserves a lot of credit for how he got us playing, and Joe [Mazzulla] has stepped up and found his own voice and obviously has got us rolling now. But I feel like Ime, especially last year, righted the ship to get us playing the right way.”

Brown seconded the thought:

“I think Ime did a good job when he came in and built the system around us. Like, he built it around our individual talent of what we did well and what (were) our superpowers. Like, Rob (Williams), gave him the freedom to make plays. He let me and Jayson be who we are, but in a combination of moving the ball and doing other things. Defensively, he told us, ‘See a play, make a play.’ The system was built around us and that was just a different coaching style than we were used to previously.”

Whether Udoka returns to the NBA is a discussion that can be tabled for later, but despite the murky events, the coach has left his mark on the people he has been around, and Popovich, for one still has his back.

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