Nia Long is officially a single lady, but her new chapter in life has come with a price.
As Perezcious readers know, the actress officially split from her fiancé Ime Udoka on Tuesday, several months after he was suspended as the head coach of the Boston Celtics for allegedly having an affair with another married co-worker. The whole thing was messy AF — and Nia isn’t afraid to put those responsible on blast.
On Wednesday night, the star showed up at the Hollywood Athletic Club for the premiere of Peacock’s The Best Man: The Final Chapters looking fine AF despite the difficult breakup. During her time on the red carpet, she spoke with ET’s Kevin Frazier about her relationship’s demise, once again calling out the professional basketball team for mishandling the affair.
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Before getting into the tough subject, the reporter mentioned Stephen A. Smith had just swung by and shared his two cents on the controversy, and he was quickly upset with the ball team. Stephen shared:
“As somebody that has covered professional sports for 30 years, has covered the NBA for over a quarter century, needless to say, I know of many instances where individuals have had situations occur within the organization. And it was never publicized. There was never a press conference. There was never something that was publicized publicly about it, but suddenly in this situation, it was.”
Yeesh. When you put it into the context of other scandals, it is such a bummer for Nia it had to happen this way! Stephen continued:
“If I’m her, I’m furious for a multitude of reasons, obviously, but especially that one. I wouldn’t blame anybody for feeling that way when it comes to her. It was never something that should have been publicized. I’m a sports reporter, and I’m telling you it was none of our business. We had no business knowing all the things that we knew!”
Whoa. Well said!
Nia completely agreed with his take on the situation, candidly remarking:
“Absolutely. 100 and one percent. He was the first person who said it. I agree with it. I think it’s been incredibly difficult for me to manage all of that while working and trying to be a mom — I’m trying to find the humanity in all of it.”
Staying positive isn’t easy, especially as she navigates this tumultuous time in her life while also raising her children. Ime and Nia share an 11-year-old son, Kez, and Long’s 22-year-old son, Massai, from a previous relationship. They first began dating in 2009 before getting engaged in 2015, though they were not rushing down the aisle. Criticizing the Celtics’ decision to make this private matter so public, she reflected:
“It feels like no one thought of me, of my children. There was no protection. I think the Celtics were irresponsible and it was hurtful. It really was, because we were welcomed in as family and then it’s like, ‘Well, what happened?’ But I’m figuring it out.”
Learning your partner cheated is bad enough, but dealing with it on such a public scale has got to be brutal! Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Nia has called out the NBA team for the way they treated her during this controversy! As Perezcious readers know, Ime was first suspended in September. It was quickly revealed he was axed for having an alleged affair with an employee, which had come to light amid an investigation. And for Nia? Just imagine how difficult it must have been to face constant headlines about her romance. Oof.
Earlier this month, she opened up about the drama — and interestingly placed most of her blame on the Celtics rather than her husband-to-be, telling The Hollywood Reporter:
“[Kez] still has moments where it’s not easy for him. 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. It’s very disappointing.”
It’s true, though. Perhaps there was a different way they could have handled this — one that protected the organization and Nia. She must be particularly upset knowing so many couples in the past have gotten the chance to face similar hardships in private, as Stephen mentioned.
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Thankfully, the Big Momma’s House star seems to be handling this time in her life really well, and it helps that she has made some positive changes! Opening up about her new home in Los Angeles (following her very short-lived move to Boston), she gushed:
“I love my new house. It’s so peaceful and hidden and tranquil, and it’s just perfect for new beginnings.”
Just what she needs right now! Love it!!
We hope the New Year can bring her and her children lots of healing as they continue to process this split and the media attention that surrounded it. Thoughts?! Do you think the Celtics mishandled this? Let us know (below)!
[Image via ESPN/YouTube & Nia Long/Instagram]
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