Ex-NBA star Matt Barnes warns Ime Udoka scandal is ‘100 times uglier than any of us thought’

Former NBA forward-turned media personality Matt Barnes backs down on his criticism of the Boston Celtics for suspending head coach Ime Udoka over a reported affair with a female staffer.

Barnes, 42, initially turned down the suspension decision on Thursday but turned his back on Friday when he learned the ‘all the facts’, which he says are ‘100 times uglier than any of us thought’.

Udoka was suspended late Thursday night for the upcoming 2022-2023 season for ‘multiple’ violations of team rules. ESPN, The Athletic and The Associated Press have since reported that Udoka had an inappropriate but consensual relationship with a female team member.

However, the athletic questioned the relationship on Thursday night, reporting that Udoka was accused by the woman of making “unwanted comments” against her, prompting the Celtics to initiate internal interviews that eventually led to his suspension.

Former NBA forward-turned media personality Matt Barnes backs down on his criticism of the Celtics for suspending head coach Ime Udoka over a reported affair with a female staffer

On Friday, Barnes explained in a self-shot Instagram video that he deleted his previous post criticizing the decision because he had been given more information.

“Because I’m part of the media now and I’m not trying to be like everyone else – I’m trying to report with facts and honesty – and I have to say clearly, without knowing all the facts, I spoke in defense of Ime Udoka, and after i found out the facts after speaking i erased what i posted because this Boston situation is deep, it’s messy, it’s 100 times uglier than we thought,” Barnes told the camera as he drove his car .

“And that’s why I erased what I said. Things have happened that I can’t condone, that I can’t undo, and it’s not up to me to tell you what happened. If it comes out, it comes out. But that’s why I deleted my message last night, because after I posted it, I got a call from someone who had all the details, and s*** is deep.”

Barnes went on to say he hopes the blogs that picked up on his first post on the subject will see him roll back his criticism of the Celtics.

“I saw a lot of blogs picking up on what I said even if it was only on the page for two minutes so hopefully they pick this up too because I’m wrong and jump out without the facts,” he said.

Udoka, the Celtics sophomore head coach with a once stellar record, was banned Thursday from the entire upcoming season for “multiple” unspecified team rule violations.

Reports say the 45-year-old had an inappropriate but consensual relationship with a female member of the team’s staff, but that hardly explains why Udoka is being sidelined for 2022-23, and possibly longer. In the team statement appointing assistant Joe Mazzulla as interim coach, Boston said Udoka’s future would be determined “at a later date.”

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce said the Udoka should just be fined and not suspended

The situation is puzzling, not only because Boston sidelined a coach who led the team to the NBA finals in his first season, but also because the Celtics have turned a seemingly personal and allegedly consensual relationship into a public affair — something Stephen A from ESPN Smith seized Friday.

“My problem is his personal affairs are being published all over the airways,” Smith said, wondering why a suspension was necessary.

Celtics legend Paul Pierce also argued on Twitter that Udoka’s sentence should be “just a fine, not a suspension.”

Further complicating matters is Udoka’s shady relationship with Long.

A report, from Bally Sports, claims the pair “broke up before the current issue,” but the two appeared to be on good terms back in May, when the former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air tweeted a video of himself was partying as his Celtics qualified for the finals.

Then there was Udoka’s own statement on Thursday, which made a cryptic reference to disappointing his loved ones: “I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization and my family for disappointing them.”

The Celtics would open a training camp on Tuesday as a natural favorite to reach the finals again and potentially compete for an NBA-record 18th championship.

Instead, Boston now faces leadership questions as Udoka fights to save his once-promising career.

Stephen A. Smith was very angry with the way the Celtics handled the reported affair of Ime Udoka