Celtics were 'stupid' to reveal coach Ime Udoka's affair with staffer, says ex-fiancée Nia Long

Actress Nia Long is still upset with the Boston Celtics' decision to reveal her ex-fiancé Ime Udoka's improper affair with a team staffer, which resulted with the head coach's year-long suspension and the end of his 13-year relationship with the 'Boyz n the Hood' star.

'The Celtics made a choice to make my family business public, and I don't understand why,' she told New York Magazine. 'It could've all been handled internally. I do understand why, but I can't talk about it. Maybe one day I will. 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.'

Udoka's future with the team has remained in doubt since he was suspended by the Celtics for the ongoing 2022-23 season. He has been replaced with interim coach Joe Mazzulla, who has guided the Celtics to a league-best 39-16 record.

The scandal broke in September, beginning with reports of Udoka's imminent suspension. The Athletic then reported that the coach made 'unwanted' comments to the woman with whom he had an affair.

The newly single 52-year-old Long said she her primary focus is the couple's son, 11-year-old Kez, who has moved back to Los Angeles with his mother after they relocated to Boston when Udoka was named the Celtics' head coach in 2021.

Nia Long with fiancé Ime Udoka in 2017. He has been suspended as the head coach of the Boston Celtics for an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer. (Right) Udoka and Long are pictured with their son Kez (center) and her son Massai Dorsey II (far right)

'My only focus right now is my youngest son 'cause he's having a really tough time,' Long said. 'I'm sure I have some things that I'm suppressing, but I have to do that to take care of him first. That's the giving. It's natural. I'm sure I'll have to circle back with myself several times to reconcile things. But the one thing I'm trying not to harbor is anger.

Long says the scandal isn't difficult to discuss, but she chooses not to because 'it's personal' and she's 'still figuring it out.'

'You're with someone for 12, 13 years, you think you know them,' she said.

Long has been plugging her new comedy, You People, and last month told Drew Barrymore that she is now single and dating. 

However, she said she does have one person in mind: 'I have my eye on one person. I'm not saying. I'm never telling.'

The celebrated actress, who has starred in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Soul Food, says she got through these difficult months with the help of support from friends and fans.

'That saved my life,' she told New York Magazine. 'It saved my mental well-being because I felt uplifted by the community in a way that felt like my family was checking in and making sure I was okay. And that, I appreciated.'

Long previously said she took Kez out of school when Udoka's affair became public.

'It was devastating, and it still is,' Long said, adding that her son 'still has moments where it's not easy for him.'

Long also has a 22-year-old son from a previous relationship with actor Massai Dorsey..

Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm poses with Nia Long and Ime Udoka after the game against the New York Liberty on August 20, 2021 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn

Udoka issued his own statement following his suspension in September: 'I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down.'

The woman with whom Udoka is accused of having an affair served as a team liaison arranging travel, lodging and game tickets for Celtics family members at home and on the road. It is likely that she even arranged travel for Long.

Udoka was named head coach of the Celtics at the start of the 2021-22 season after former head coach Brad Stevens was promoted to President of Basketball Operations.

In his first season as a head coach, Udoka amassed a 51-31 record and guided the Celtics to a regular-season Atlantic Division title. Udoka then helped lead Boston all the way to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. There, they fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

Udoka was named head coach of the Boston Celtics at the start of the 2021-22 season after former head coach Brad Stevens was promoted to President of Basketball Operations

Before coaching with the Celtics, Udoka spent time as an assistant coach for eight seasons at the San Antonio Spurs under head coach Gregg Popovich, helping to win an NBA title in 2014.

Udoka left San Antonio in 2019, moving to the Philadelphia 76ers. The following season, he became an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets.

He was then hired as the head coach of the Celtics, becoming the fifth black head coach in the team's history.

A Portland native, Udoka played at Portland State before a journeyman's career that took him from low-level, independent leagues to Europe and eventually the NBA, where he carved out bench roles with the Spurs. He also had brief stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Sacramento Kings.

Udoka was rumored to be a candidate for the vacant Nets job after Steve Nash was dismissed earlier this season, but Brooklyn ultimately promoted assistant Jacque Vaughn to head coach.