Thursday morning on First Take, ESPN show host and NBA analyst, Stephen A. Smith said that the reason suspended Boston Celtics head coach, Ime Udoka, is not currently the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets is because of Nets star, Kyrie Irving, and his recent controversy regarding antisemitic material.
Irving is currently suspended from the Nets team.
Udoka is currently suspended from the Boston Celtics for a violation of team policy.
The Brooklyn Nets recently announced that Jacque Vaughn will lead the team going forward.
“He is not the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets right now because of Kyrie Irving and that’s the shame of it all.” Smith said.
In his only season coaching the Celtics, Udoka took them to the NBA Finals in a losing effort against the Golden State Warriors. The Nets fired coach Steve Nash earlier this month.
Fellow analyst Monica McNutt concurred with Smith saying “I agree with you. I think that decision had a lot to do with the things off the court with this team.”
But she also offered that it might not had been as easy of a fit as expected, saying “I’m not sure it would have been as easy as plug and play”.
You can watch the segment below.