Nia Long is unhappy about how the Boston Celtics handled the situation with her fiancé Ime Udoka. The 52-year-old actor recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about various topics including how the Celtics dealt with Udoka —the team’s head coach — having an affair with a female subordinate within the Celtics organization.
Long told The Hollywood Reporter she had to take her son out of school when the news broke. “I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public,” she said. “It was devastating, and it still is. He still has moments where it’s not easy for him. If you’re in the business of protecting women — I’m sorry, no one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK. It’s very disappointing.”
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Udoka is suspended for the entire 2022-23 season, and assists coach Joe Mazzulla took his place as interim head coach. As the Celtics shared the news of Udoka’s violation of team policies, Long received her share of support on social media. “I literally felt like my heart had jumped out of my body,” Liong said of the media frenzy. “And then what I found was this tribe of women and men who were standing up for me in a way that felt like I was in this bubble of protection, and that was very comforting.”
Long didn’t reveal to The Hollywood Reporter if she is still with Udoka but said she and her son Kez are moving back to Los Angeles from Boston. As for Udoka, he gave a statement to ESPN’s Malika Andrews on the alleged affair. “I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down,” he said. “I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision.”
Long can be seen in the new Peacock series , which begins streaming on Dec. 22. She told The Hollywood Reporter that she is getting ready to direct a film for the first time. Udoka was hired to be the Celtics’ head coach in 2021 and led the team to the NBA Finals last season.
