Nia Long Calls Out The Celtics For Their Handling Of The Ime Udoka Cheating Scandal
I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Nia Long to have to go through the very public cheating scandal of fiance Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka. Well, we don’t have to wonder anymore as Long has addressed the scandal in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter. In the interview, “The iconic actress opens up about the return of the ‘Best Man’ franchise, being dragged into an NBA scandal and at last pursuing a career on her terms: “The days of being on the battlefield unnecessarily are over.””
Let’s recap
Nia’s fiance Ime Udoka, who has an 11-year-old son (Kez) with Long, was suspended for the 2022-2023 season for multiple violations of team policies, that included an improper relationship with a woman in the Celtics organization. FYI, Nia and Ima started dating in 2009 and got engaged in 2015.
The press conference
The Celtics then called a press conference to address the suspension. About that press conference, Nia said that she was not happy about the way the Celtics handled it. From THR interview, she said…“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,” says Long, who took her son out of school when the news broke. “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.”As news of Udoka’s transgressions spread across sports outlets that day, so did a swell of support for Long on social media as the disgraced coach issued a statement apologizing to players, fans and his family for letting them down.
She also said that after that happened, “I went home to be with my son, and that was what was most important to me, because he was not having an easy time.”
Support for Nia
When all this was happening, Long says that she got a lot of support. “I literally felt like my heart had jumped out of my body,” she recalls of the media blitz. “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.”
The latest
Nia didn’t discuss the status of her relationship with Ime, nor did she talk about the cheating. She is currently moving back to LA from Boston into a new home with her sons. Besides 11-year-old Kez, she also has a 22-year-old son named Massai from a previous relationship.
In other Nia news…
Nia Long is back with a new project. A Peacock series called The Best Man: The Final Chapter, will premiere on December 22nd. Here’s the trailer.
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