Kevin Garnett calls for Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to step up amid the Ime Udoka scandal

Kevin Garnett has called on Boston’s star players to lead the team through the ‘dark times’ of the Ime Udoka scandal.

Udoka was handed a one-year suspension for breaching team policies amid rumors he had a consensual relationship with a female staffer. 

Garnett could bee seen in a preview video for Showtime Basketball’s full ‘Certified Smoke’ 2022-23 NBA season preview, calling on young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylon Brown to step up.

‘The question still is here, “who’s gonna lead them,”‘ he asked. ‘Is this the time where Tatum and Brown step up?’ 

Kevin Garnett called on Boston Celtics stars to step up and lead after Ime Udoka’s suspension

Udoka was handed a one-year suspension for breaching team policies amid rumors he had a consensual relationship with a female staffer

Garnett singled out Celtics stars Jayson Tatum (R) and Jaylen Brown (L) to lead the team through ‘dark times’

Garnett was joined by fellow Celtics great Paul Pierce, along with former NBA champions and ‘All the Smoke’ podcast hosts, Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes.

‘The locker room, the cohesiveness has to be on a thousand,’ Garnett said. ‘Your real leader, your general is not going to be there for a whole year.’

Boston’s general [Udoka], had the team on the brink of hanging an 18th NBA finals banner from the rafters at TD Garden. 

‘Just think about all that promise, all that investment they took on getting to the Finals and what that year was like. You’ve all been there,’ Garnett said. ‘It’s hard as s*** to get to the Finals. Think about going home as a loser, and going home on vacation and every time you see somebody being reminded of that s*** and then you come in here to this [Udoka’s suspension].

‘Dark times show true self in personnel. This is when people step up and this is when you come out and grow wings.’

Garnett claimed that the Celtics had lost their ‘leader and general’ for the season

Udoka talks to his team during a time out, Brown and Tatum can be seen paying close attention

Barnes added that Celtics players will have to deal with questions about Udoka’s suspension repeatedly throughout the season.

He added that Celtics players will be faced with addressing Udoka’s suspension repeatedly throughout the season.

‘Every time they go through a lull this season, this is going to get brought up, when they lose two or three games,’ Barnes said.

It remains to be seen if Udoka’s absence from the team will last for just the one season he’s been suspended or whether he will face further discipline. 

A recent report noted that the investigation into his alleged affair with female staff member found that he ‘used crude language’ before the start of the improper relationship.

The language was said to be a key factor in the amount of time he was suspended, and would likely make it more difficult to eventually reinstate him.

Garnett attends a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics