BOSTON — Ime Udoka has a new job as head coach of the Houston Rockets.
His indefinite suspension and subsequent firing paved the way for Joe Mazzulla to take over as Celtics head coach.
Mazzulla, who was previously an assistant coach with the Celtics, had only been a head coach at the Division II college level before.
Mazzulla reached out to Udoka when he heard about the hiring.
Trust and forgiveness were part of the Celtics’ reasons for hiring Mazzulla, who was arrested multiple times in college over a decade ago. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said at the time that he personally vetted Mazzulla himself.