ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes the Boston Celtics would have handled the firing of coach Ime Udoka differently if he were white.

In September 2022, the Celtics suspended Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season for “violations of team policies.” It was then revealed Udoka was involved in an improper workplace relationship with a female subordinate. The Celtics ultimately fired him.

On April 24, the Houston Rockets announced the organization officially hired Udoka to be their coach for the 2023-24 season.

While Smith praised the Rockets and Udoka for this second chance, he maintained it wasn’t “any of our business.”

“And yes, at the time, I took it to the racial component; and I’m gonna take it there now,” Smith said on Wednesday’s episode of his Know Mercy podcast. “I know – personally – of an inordinate amount of stories that involved white men associated with sports franchises, who were screwing around with someone internally.

“Let me tell you what I’ve never seen: I never saw a damn press conference about it. I never said, ‘Ime Udoka shouldn’t be fired.’ I didn’t have an opinion as to whether he should be fired or he should be kept. My opinion was, “Keep him or fire him.’ What you don’t do it publicize it. He’s the only one screwing? Nobody else was? Everybody else was celibate?”

Smith also took exception to the NBA keeping the woman’s identity a secret while still making the report public, thus involving Udoka’s partner – actress Nia Long – in the controversy.

“Now, he might’ve been wrong,” Smith said of Udoka, “because you’re messing with something in-house. It could’ve been a subordinate. I understand. Fire him! And say, “Ask him why.’ But to have a press conference and put his business – tacitly or otherwise – on front street… You didn’t think about Nia Long at all. But you thought about the other woman, who – purportedly – was white. I ain’t forgetting that – ever.”

Watch the clip above.

The post Stephen A. Smith Upset at ‘Racial Component’ Behind Coach Ime Udoka’s Firing from Boston Celtics After Workplace Affair first appeared on Mediaite.

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