NIA LONG has shared the screen opposite several of Hollywood's leading men.
The NCIS: Los Angeles alum was previously engaged to Houston Rockets head basketball coach Ime Udoka.
Who is Nia Long's ex-fiancé, Ime Udoka?
Nia Long's ex-fiancé Ime Udoka is a Nigerian-American professional basketball coach and former player who was born on August 9, 1977, in Portland, Oregon.
Udoka played in the NBA's official minor league, once known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL - now the G League).
The athlete later joined several professional teams, including the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers.
He also played basketball overseas in Argentina, Spain, France, and Nigeria.
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From 2012 until 2019, Udoka served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
He then joined the Philadelphia 76ers under head coach Brett Brown before moving to the Brooklyn Nets in 2020.
Udoka was later named the Boston Celtics' head coach in 2021.
Despite leading the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals, Udoka was suspended for the 2022-23 season.
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The suspension was a result of Udoka having a consensual, yet inappropriate relationship with a fellow Celtics staff member.
In April 2023, he was hired as the head coach for the Houston Rockets.
Due to his successful career on the court, he has been able to amass an extensive net worth of $6 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
When did Nia Long and Ime Udoka split?
On December 6, 2022, it was announced Long and Udoka called off their engagement and ended their relationship.
An insider confirmed to People: "The situation is unfortunate and painful but Nia is focusing on her children and rebuilding her life.
"They are no longer together but remain fully committed to co-parenting their son [Kez]."
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actress also shared with The Hollywood Reporter that the split was not easy on her family.
She revealed: "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."
"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."
"He still has moments where it's not easy for him. No one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I'm okay, to see if my children are okay."
"The outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and the community during this difficult time means so much to me."
She added: "I ask that my privacy be respected as I process the recent events."
"Above all, I am a mother and will continue to focus on my children."
In September 2022, it was revealed that Udoka would be benched for the 2022-23 season.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the decision came after it was determined that he violated the franchise’s code of conduct by having an "improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff."
While the relationship was consensual, the woman later said Udoka made unwanted comments towards her.
As a result of her accusation, the Boston Celtics launched several internal investigations across their organization.
“I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down,” Udoka said in a statement.
“I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision."
"Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.”
As of December 2023, the nature of the improper relationship remains unclear.
On February 16, 2023, the Celtics officially replaced Udoka with their former assistant coach, Joe Mazzulla.
Mazzulla had already been serving as the interim head coach throughout Udoka's suspension.
How many kids do Nia Long and Ime Udoka have?
Nia and Udoka have one son together named Kez Sunday.
The former pair welcomed Kez on November 6, 2011.
She first announced her pregnancy in June 2011 and confirmed the news to reporters at that year's BET Awards: "I almost fainted. It was the best moment and the sweetest surprise ever."
"I was supposed to go to Ghana to do a film and that's when I found out I was pregnant."
Nia is also the mother of an older son named Massai Zhivago Dorsey II, whom she welcomed while in a relationship with actor Massai Z Dorsey.
Why was Ime Udoka ejected?
On Saturday, December 3, 2023, the Houston Rockets took on the Los Angeles Lakers.
During the fourth quarter, as the Lakers led 93-77 with less than 10 minutes remaining, Houston Rockets head coach Udoka got into a heated exchange with LA Lakers star LeBron James.
The exchange came shortly after Lakers forward Cam Reddish fouled Rockets' forward Tari Eason.
Reddish then brushed past Eason, nearly walking into him, and the two had to be separated after a brief spat.
The confrontation between Udoka and James led to repercussions for both men.
James received a technical foul.
Udoka, who had already received a technical foul earlier in the game, was ejected from the court and sent back to the locker room.
On X, formerly Twitter, Overtime, which calls itself "the leading brand for the next generation of sports fans," posted a video of Udoka and James in a heated discussion.
A ref is shown quickly stepping in between the two men.
As reported by Bleacher Report, in the postgame press conference, Udoka took shots at the entire LA Lakers team.
"To kind of get punked by a team that's not known for physicality or punking people is not a good sign," he said.
He also claimed to have only been speaking to James, and the refs "didn't like what they heard."
James said that he and Udoka were discussing "how much we enjoyed Thanksgiving."
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The Lakers ended up winning the game, with a final score of 107-97.
The two teams will face off again on January 29, 2024.
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