Nia Long recently opened up about the devastating toll the last few months have had on her and her youngest son, Kez Sunday Udoka.
As previously reported by REVOLT, Long’s fiancé, Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, was caught in a public scandal when the team suspended him in September. An investigation revealed that the former NBA player violated several team policies in connection to an improper relationship he had with a female staffer.
Since the news broke, fans across social media have sent an outpouring of support and uplifting messages to Long — something she said the Celtics organization has failed to do. “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,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in a story published Thursday (Dec. 1).
The veteran actress told THR that when Udoka’s affair was publicized, it felt “like my heart had jumped out of my body.” The shock even led her to do something that she had never done in her entire career: She walked away from a project that she already committed to. “I went home to be with my son, and that was what was most important to me because he was not having an easy time,” said Long.
The Best Man actress and Udoka began dating in 2009, and in 2015, they became engaged. Together, they share one son, 11-year-old Kez. She also has a 22-year-old son, Massai Zhivago Dorsey II, from a previous relationship. Despite opening up about her partner’s affair, Long has not publicly commented on the status of her and Udoka’s relationship.
And while she has her own emotional challenges in navigating this chapter in her life, the Jason’s Lyric star said that 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.” She added, “He still has moments where it’s not easy for him.”