Social media users hope that the Boston Celtics’ 2024 NBA championship win against the Dallas Mavericks is a reminder to Nia Long‘s ex Ime Udoka of what could have been.
The retired professional basketball player served as the team’s head coach for two seasons, leading them to the NBA Finals in 2022, a first since 2010. However, before reaching his two-year anniversary with the organization, it was revealed by team leaders in a press conference that Udoka had been sidelined following the revelation of his affair with a female staff member.
At the time, he was engaged to “Best Man” actress, whom he had been with for over a decade in a union that led to the birth of their son, Kez, who is now 12. Udoka’s violation of team rules ultimately led to his firing as well as ending his relationship with Long.
Long had relocated to Beantown months prior to learning about the scandal. Several media reports alleged that the other woman even played a role in helping Long and her son get acclimated to their new environment.
Following the Celtic’s big win on June 17, marking their 18th franchise championship win, the cheating controversy resurfaced online. “Ime Udoka fumbled a ring and Nia Long,” read a tweet that inspired a flood of replies calling out Udoka.
Months after his Boston departure, he accepted the role as head coach of the Houston Rockets in April 2023. His new roster of star players was eliminated from playoff contention by their home state rival Dallas in April.
Ime Udoka fumbled a ring and Nia Long. pic.twitter.com/AeQOMH25yS
— Train Freeman (@Train_Freeman) June 18, 2024
Another comment about his losses reads, “Ime Udoka really looks like the biggest clown rn. Men with no sexual discipline <<<<<.” A third X user wrote, “Ime Udoka is super sick right now.”
Amid the onslaught of messages clowning the former Portland Trail Blazers forward, his ex posted cryptic memes in her Instagram Story.
One post reads, “Success isn’t about making a million dollars, it’s about waking up in a good mood.” And the other stated, “The person who is meant for you, will heal to keep you in their life.”
The “Love Jones” starlet’s uploads come a year after her former beau said he spent the 2023 offseason “working on myself in a lot of different ways, improving in areas, and it gave me a chance to sit back, reflect, and grow.”
Long criticized the organization for blasting her then-fiancé’s indiscretions to the world but failing to check in on her and Kez. She also shared that her son’s father also “failed to support” them after the family was broken up.
She later said in a 2023 sit-down with rapper Jeezy that the breakup was “a wakeup call for me in the sense of like, ‘OK, you’re going to do this on your own and you’re going to be fine and you’re not going to worry about what anyone thinks and has to say.'”
Long added that “the relationship was rocky for a very long time.”
The pair began dating in 2011 and were engaged by 2015, though official plans to marry never made headlines. Since separating, the Hollywood veteran has been awarded sole custody of their son along with a reported $32,500 in monthly child support. Udoka’s four-year coaching contract is worth $7 million.
Despite fleeting rumors of her being romantically linked to Omarion and Terrence J, Long has not revealed a new relationship.
