Tag: Nia Long

Nia Long said the Celtics made her family business public: ‘It could have been handled internally’

The actress briefly addressed her split with Ime Udoka.

Nia Long isn’t ready to go into detail about the events that led to the end of her 13-year relationship with ex-fiancé and former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. But she does have a thought about how it was all handled.

Reports at the time of Udoka’s suspension in September were that he had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the Celtics organization. Public comments from the organization only stated that Udoka committed multiple violations of team policies.

But if it seems like the Celtics dealt with the situation the best way they could, don’t be so sure. Long believes there was an alternative way to handle it.

“The Celtics made a choice to make my family business public, and I don’t understand why. It could’ve all been handled internally. I do understand why, but I can’t talk about it. Maybe one day I will,” the Love Jones actress said in an interview with The Cut. “You know, fear drives stupidity, and I’ll leave that right there. I’ve learned that I’m stronger than I ever thought I was.”

Long also said her 11-year-old son with Udoka, Kaz, is having a really tough time, which could understandably be fueling her feelings toward the team. If there was absolutely a way for the Celtics to keep things in house, that’s what she would have preferred.

Of course, that was out of the Celtics’ hands once reports began to surface about a potential suspension for a coach that had just led his team to the NBA Finals, and the reasons behind it. But that begs the question about who was leaking that information to reporters in the first place.

I don’t know the answer, but it seems clear there remains a lot about the situation we simply don’t know and may never know, which is fine, because it’s really none of our business. But if she ever does decide to say more, it doesn’t sound like it’ll paint the Celtics in the best light.

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Suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, Nia Long split

Udoka and Long remain committed to co-parenting their son Kez, per the report.

Suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka and longtime partner Nia Long have split. The development comes in the wake of his suspension by the Celtics after it was revealed Udoka had been having an inappropriate relationship with a female team staffer. The split was first reported by People’s Joelle Goldstein and Lanae Brody.

Per the report, the former couple are “no longer together but remain fully committed to co-parenting their son (Kez).”

The news comes days after Long spoke to the media about the situation for the first time since it exploded into public view in September.

“The situation is unfortunate and painful, but Nia is focusing on her children and rebuilding her life,” related the source to People.

Udoka is widely seen as unlikely to return to coach the Celtics given how seriously the organization is taking the incident as well as the success of interim head coach Joe Mazzulla.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Nia Long upset with Celtics over Ime Udoka scandal; could they have done things differently?

It is unclear if the Celtics were in a position to do anything differently given the fraught legal landscape of the situation.

Actress Nia Long re-awoke discussion of the scandal engulfing Ime Udoka — her then-partner and head coach of the Boston Celtics — when she recently granted an interview that touched on her experience during the unfolding of the scandal that saw Udoka suspended by the team for a year with little chance of his returning to the team afterward.

Long highlighted how the media circus impacted her and her son Kez’s lives and claimed that the Celtics did not reach out to her, but it is unclear whether Boston would have been able to from a legal perspective, which was a topic of conversation on a recent episode of NBC’s “Brother from Another” show.

That doesn’t mean things might not have been handled better overall, perhaps, but the cloud of uncertainty still hanging over the situation makes things very opaque even now.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what the hosts had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Nia long opens up about Boston Celtics, Ime Udoka scandal

“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 related.

Actress Nia Long has finally shared her reaction to the initial news of suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka’s misconduct in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter’s Brande Victorian. The partner of Udoka for over a decade when the scandal that led to his season-long suspension broke, Long has been largely quiet about the situation until now.

Amid the concern over female employees of the Celtics organization getting dragged into the affair, Long shared that the team did not reach out to her, and highlighted the impact the way the news was handled impacted her and Udoka’s son Kez negatively.

“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 related.

Nia Long thankful for support, privacy amid Boston Celtics’ Ime Udoka scandal

Actress Nia Long issues statement amid ongoing Udoka scandal, thanking fans for their support and discretion.

In the wake of the investigation and season-long suspension of Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, his long-time partner Nia Long has broken her silence on the entire situation on Friday morning. In a statement made by her representative Shannon Barr, Long thanked her fans for their support and discretion in this difficult moment.

“The outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and the community during this difficult time means so much to me. 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, an award-winning television and film actress, has been dating Udoka for more than a decade, and the two were engaged in 2015. TMZ is reporting Long and her son Kez moved to Boston two weeks ago – the two were unaware of the Celtics’ ongoing investigation into Udoka.

News of the scandal and the speculation it triggered allowed for a destructive wave of online speculation and gossip. The almost universal support Long received from fans is a bright spot in an otherwise ugly saga.

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Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Nia Long breaks silence after fiance Ime Udoka’s suspension for Celtics relationship scandal

Nia Long spoke out via a statement after the Ime Udoka scandal.

Actress Nia Long has spoken out after her fiance Ime Udoka was suspended for a year by the Boston Celtics.

Long and Udoka have been together since 2010, with the actress publicly rooting him on during the Celtics’ run to the NBA Finals last season. The pair have a son, Kez Sunday Udoka, who was born in 2011.

Until now, we hadn’t heard anything from her. The last public message to Udoka was wishing him a happy birthday on Twitter last month.

Amid the scandal in which Udoka allegedly had a relationship with a woman on the Celtics’ staff, Long had this to say in a statement to CNN:

“The outpouring love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me,” she said in the statement. “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.”
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Why actress Nia Long is a Boston Celtics fan for the NBA Finals

She has a Celtics connection!

If you’re here, it may mean that the cameras at the 2022 NBA Finals have focused on actress Nia Long, known for her roles in Empire, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and so much more.

And if you’re wondering why she’s such a huge Boston Celtics fan, you’ve come to the right place.

Long is the fiancée of Celtics coach Ime Udoka, so of course she’s rooting him on so hard. Per NBC Sports: “Long and Udoka met in 2010 while Udoka was an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs and have a son, Kez Sunday Udoka, who was born in 2011. They got engaged in 2015, although Long said in 2020 she doesn’t plan on getting married in the near future.”

She’s his biggest fan on Twitter:

And she’s been there in the stands:

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Nia Long is the biggest fan of Celtics coach and fiancé Ime Udoka

The coach and the actress have been together for a while.

Hey, here’s something I just found out about Ime Udoka, the Boston Celtics coach who could be leading his team to a first-round sweep on Monday night against the Brooklyn Nets: His fiancee is none other than Nia Long.

That’s the same Nia Long who has starred in NCIS: Los Angeles, Empire, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and so much more.

Here’s another cool thing: Long doesn’t tweet that often. But in the past year, she’s tweeted about Udoka, rooting him on during his first year at the helm of the Celtics.

That includes a broom image on Monday that’s since been deleted as the Celts try to go for the sweep:

These are great:

 

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