Nia Long and fiance Ime Udoka 'no longer together' as NBA coach's alleged affair ends 13-year relationship
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Nia Long may have ended her 13-year relationship with fiance Ime Ukoka after the former basketball player's alleged affair with a co-worker surfaced. A source close to the actress claimed, "The situation is unfortunate and painful, but Nia is focusing on her children and rebuilding her life." A rep for Long also confirmed that the two are, are "no longer together, but remain fully committed to raising their son [Kez] together."
In early in September, NBA team, Boston Celtics, held a press conference to address Udoka’s suspension, "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," Long recently told The Hollywood Reporter. She slammed the NBA organization, "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."
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Long further said, "It was devastating, and it still is," and she since moved from Boston to Los Angeles. In their official statement, the team said, “The Boston Celtics announced today that the team has suspended Head Coach Ime Udoka for the 2022-23 season for violations of team policies. A decision about his future with the Celtics beyond this season will be made at a later date. The suspension takes effect immediately.” Udoka later in a statement to ESPN on the alleged relationship said, "I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down. I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team's decision." He ended by saying, "Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment."
Long in past had said that she is not a ‘marriage work’, and does not define a successful relationship, "I don't feel less loved or less loving because I'm not married," she said at the time. "I worked hard to have the career I wanted, but I've also been deliberate about my personal life. None of this is a mistake." And in the most recent interview of December 2020, Long stuck to her stand on marriage, "Love is complicated … and then you start a marriage, which I've never been married to. And there's a reason for that because I don't know that I need to say 'I do' to prove to you that I love you. But also, what does marriage really [mean] … that you own me now and I own you? I don't get that part."
Long and Udoka got engaged in 2015, and share one child, a son Kez Sunday Oduka, 11.