The Boston Celtics suspended head coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season due to him violating team policies which include a reported intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise’s staff. Udoka is engaged to actress Nia Long, and according to TMZ, Long was blindsided by the incident despite the team knowing about it months ago after doing an investigation. Long reportedly moved to Boston with her 10-year-old son with Udoka two weeks ago, and the couple was looking for a home.
TMZ went on to say that when Long moved to Boston, Udoka was already aware that his affair with a married front office staffer was about to go public. The Celtics knew about the affair back in July. However, Long only found out about it the last few days ago only because Udoka knew it was about to blow up.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“The outpouring of love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me,” Long told TMZ through her rep Shannon Barr. “I ask that my privacy be respected as I process the recent events. Above all, I am a mother and will continue to focus on my children.”
Long’s statement comes shortly after Udoka broke his silence on the ordeal. “I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down,” he said in a statement shared by Malika Andrews of ESPN. “I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.”
Udoka was hired by the Celtics in June 2021 after spending the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets. In his first season, Udoka led the Celtics to 51 wins and a trip to the NBA Finals. Udoka and Long have been together for over 10 years and got engaged in 2015.
“It’s been a hard time,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a press conference, per ESPN. “The only thing I would like to say is that I thought and Wyc mentioned it already, we have a lot of talented women in our organization and I thought yesterday was really hard on them. “Nobody can control Twitter speculation and rampant bulls— but I do think we as an organization have a responsibility to support them now because a lot of people were dragged unfairly into that.”
