Three years after Ime Udoka’s alleged workplace affair with a female Celtics employee rocked the world of his then-partner, Nia Long, the actress has revealed that the former couple is in a “good” place today.
Reflecting on her personal life as part of an October/November 2025 cover story with The CutLong said she and Udoka, 48, are committed to co-parenting 13-year-old son Kez, and how they’ve made progress in the wake of the Rockets coach’s 2022 scandal.
“This summer I traveled with my youngest son and my ex, Ime. We had a wonderful time. I’ve never hiked so much in my life. But it was really beautiful because we had a very public journey that found its way to peace and understanding. And there’s a lot of mutual respect that we have for each other,” Long, 54, told the publication.
“The most important gift you can give your children is to heal from your trauma. I don’t talk about my personal life much because 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.”
Long and Udoka were together for 13 years before parting ways in December 2022 — nearly three months after Udoka was suspended for one year by the Celtics for allegedly having an inappropriate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team’s staff.
Joe Mazzulla, then an assistant with the Celtics, was named interim head coach for the 2022-2023 season, a position that was made permanent in February 2023.
The Rockets hired Udoka as head coach two months later.
Long, who welcomed Kez with Udoka in 2011, initially sought full custody of their son in August 2023. They reached a custody and child support agreement in January 2024, in which Udoka agreed to pay Long $32,500 per month, Page Six previously reported, citing court documents.
While “there is still healing to be done and understanding to be done,” as Long told The Cut, “the past is the past.”
“I’m not going to carry any burdensome energy with me because it’s just going to transfer to my children and everything else in my life. I’m proud of myself. I think we’re proud of each other as parents of Kez, that we can make this an annual thing and commit to those last wonderful years of him being in grade school and high school before he goes off to college. We’re both going to stand there and watch him graduate,” she said.
“I talk about my children a lot because they take up so much space in my life and in my heart. Everything I do is for them. I’m not a perfect mother. I’ve made a lot of mistakes… My children have seen me go through it. But that’s the type of mother I am. When I’m angry, everyone knows. When I’m happy, everyone knows. Protect your children’s innocence, but show them the truth in every situation.”
Long is also a mother to son Massai from a previous relationship.
Udoka is now entering his third season as coach of the Rockets, who are coming off a 52-30 season, including a playoff berth, and have since added Kevin Durant.
Houston opens the season on October 21 against the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
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