One of the biggest and most unexpected headlines in 2022 was former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka stepping out on actress and longtime fiancée Nia Long with a team staff member. While the public betrayal was significant, time is a healer, and almost three years later, the former couple has come to a place of peace. This is especially important considering they’re raising a son.
In her October/November 2025 cover story for The Cut, Long, who is typically private, spoke up about where things stand between them now.
“This summer, I traveled with my youngest son [Kez] and my ex, Ime. We had a great time,” she told the publication. “It was really beautiful because we’ve had a very public journey that has found its way to peace and understanding. And there’s a lot of mutual respect that we have for each other.”
In September 2022, Udoka was suspended from the Boston Celtics, where he was a coach, for unspecified “violations of team policies.” Those offenses included allegedly having an “intimate and consensual relationship with a female member.” Udoka’s actions led to the end of his 13-year relationship and seven-year engagement to the actress. The Celtics also let him go from his role as coach. He’s now the coach of the Houston Rockets.
Long did a couple of interviews post-scandal, expressing how devastating the public ordeal was. The 54-year-old was especially livid about how the Celtics handled the situation. However, Long told The Cut that healing from that trauma was essential.
“The most important gift you can give your kids is to heal your trauma,” she said during the interview. “I don’t talk much about my personal life ’cause it’s no one’s business, but every now and then people speculate things on social media and it’s like me and Coach are good. I hope he wins. He deserves to win. He’s really great at what he does. We can have experiences with our son and make him the priority.”
Udoka and Long met in 2010, welcomed their son Kez in November 2011, and got engaged in 2015. The Best Man actress also has a son, Massai, with ex Massai Z. Dorsey.
“I’m not going to carry burdensome energy with me because that just transfers to my children and it transfers to everything else in my life,” she added. “I’m proud of myself. I think we’re proud of each other as the parents of Kez, that we’re able to make this an annual thing and commit to these last sweet years of him being in grade school and high school before he goes off to college. We’re both going to be standing there watching him graduate.”
This is exactly what healthy adulting and co-parenting look like. Love doesn’t always pan out as we imagine, but the kids still deserve to grow up in a peaceful environment.