Actress Nia Long slammed the Boston Celtics organization for their blatant disregard for her family, and for their brazen hypocrisy in telling the public that they work to protect women when they failed to even check on Long.
Long, 52, also took aim at the NBA franchise for the bumbling and sloppy way they handled the de facto firing of former head coach Ime Udoka. He was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season after it was discovered that he was having an affair with a subordinate female who is married.
The Best Man and Love Jones star vented to the Hollywood Reporter that “it’s very disappointing” that no one from the Celtics ever bothered to call her to see how she was handling the explosive sex scandal and the collateral damage it caused.
“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,” she seethed to the publication.
Not surprisingly, the Celtics did not return media calls to confirm or deny Long’s damning accusations.
Udoka, 45, and Long are parents to Kez Sunday Udoka who is now 11 years old. Long has another son, Massai Dorsey II, 21, from her relationship with actor Massai Dorsey.
Long, who also starred in the classic films Boyz N the Hood and Big Momma’s House, said the public castigation and reprimand of Udoka was so heartbreaking and embarrassing for her son that she pulled him out of school.
“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 revealed.
The Look Both Ways actress declined to reveal her current relationship status with Udoka but confirmed that she is moving back to Los Angeles from Boston – merely months after she packed up her life to move to the East Coast.
“It was devastating, and it still is,” said Long, adding that her son “still has moments where it’s not easy for him” to navigate his feelings regarding the systematic dismantling of a rising star who also happens to be his father.
