Jacque Vaughn of the Brooklyn Nets talks with Kevin Durant #7 during their game at Spectrum Center on November 05, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
*The Brooklyn Nets backed off an alleged plan to hire suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka and instead have named Jacque Vaughn as the new head coach.
Vaughn had been serving as interim head coach since the team parted ways with former coach Steve Nash on Nov. 1. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Vaughn’s promotion comes with a deal through the 2023-24 season.
The New York Post writes, “In five games with Vaughn, they have gone 3-2 and showed far more effort and cohesion than they had in their 2-5 start under Nash.”
“Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball.”
READ MORE: Nets Reportedly Eyeing Ime Udoka to Replace Steve Nash
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
We reported previously that The Brooklyn Nets had been eyeing Udoka to take over as head coach. Udoka was suspended for a year as head coach of the Boston Celtics for having an affair with a team staffer. Udoka cheated on Nia Long, his longtime girlfriend/partner of 12 years, with a married Morman woman.
According to Daily Mail, Udoka’s mistress is the Celtics’ service manager, 34-year-old Kathleen Nimmo Lynch –a married mother of three who is said to be a devout Mormon. Her name leaked online after the Celtics refused to identify her amid the league’s announcement about Ime’s suspension.
Udoka’s sexual relationship with Lynch is a violation of the organization’s guidelines. After conducting several internal interviews, the team suspended him for the 2022-23 season, per a statement, as reported by ESPN.
Marks said the Nets found “somebody with some stability” in Vaughn as Ime’s off-court drama would have been an added headache as the team continues to deal with the Kyrie Irving controversy.
“JV is a great coach,” Nets guard Joe Harris said before Wednesday’s announcement about Vaughn’s promotion. “Having played in the NBA for a while, been a coach in the league for a while, having experience as a head coach, having a lot of experience now as an assistant, he’s seen a lot, had a lot of different experiences, he’s kind of fine-tuned what his approach is.
“He really just simplifies the game, I said that when we were in the bubble, same thing, but he makes sure that everybody is fully aware of what’s going on. He’s the type of coach we go through a scout [report]— there’s going to be a lot of transparency and dialogue. It’s not just him speaking hoping everybody understands. It’s a collective thing where he makes sure that everybody fully is aware of what’s going on and understanding what’s happening.”
Marks would not address the Udoka hype while speaking to reporters before Wednesday’s game.
“Like all other searches we’ve ever done whether it’s front office or coaching staff, it’s never appropriate to talk about who may or may not have been a candidate for this job,” Marks said. “All I can tell you is there was an exhaustive search, we went through candidates and we’ll leave it at that.”
Before the game, Vaughn had this to say about all the Udoka speculation: “I guess I was the write in candidate in the minds of elections right now. But I’m ok with that. I said to my wife I might have not been her first choice, but we’ve been together 20 years so it could all work out, so off we go.”
