‘This Is What He Risked Everything For?: Ime Udoka Mistress Revealed! Reportedly Cheated on Nia Long with 34-Year-Old Married Mom of Three

The mystery woman at the center of Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka’s bombshell cheating affair has been revealed to be the team’s service manager, Kathleen Nimmo Lynch. The discovery comes after Lynch’s name was leaked online after the Celtics refused to identify her amid the league’s announcement about Udoka’s season-long suspension.

According to the Daily Mail, Udoka’s mistress, who is white, is a 34-year-old devout Mormon, married with three children who served as a team liaison arranging travel, lodging and game tickets for Celtics family members at home and on the road. She also ​​assisted in helping Udoka’s finacé and actress Nia Long and their 10-year-old son Kez Udoka permanently move to Boston just weeks before the bombshell news went public.

Udoka and Lynch violated the organization’s policy when they got together, although the relationship was said to be consensual yet brief. The two reportedly ended things before investigators were brought in. 

The outlet also noted that Lynch reportedly got her gig through the teams’ former chief of basketball operations and fellow Mormon Danny Ainge, who allegedly knew about the incident and was highly upset due to the woman’s faith and marriage.

Critics on social media flocked to their platforms shortly after Lynch’s identity was made public. Many of them appeared infuriated that Udoka not only cheated on the “Love Jones” star but did so with a white woman, including an Instagram user who commented, “People Just Cheat with Anything.” “Are we surprised though,” another person commented before adding, “Wishing Nia and that lady husband the best. They deserve better.”

A third critic wrote, “I wouldn’t give him or her the satisfaction of playing me. I wouldn’t look back if I was Nia!” “THIS is what he risked EVERYTHING for???” commented a fourth critic. “Chiiiillllleeeeee.” 

The former NBA player-turned-Celtics head coach was suspended for the entire 2022-2023 season. He ultimately apologized in a statement shortly after his suspension was announced, sayng, “I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down.”

He added.“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.”

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top