It’s been nearly four years since the Nia Long and her ex-fiancé Ime Udoka saw their relationship shattered by a public scandal.
In September 2022, the Boston Celtics blindsided NBA fans and reporters with the news that they were suspending their head coach Udoka for the season over an affair he was having with a woman who worked in the Celtics front office.
The relationship was a violation of the team’s workplace guidelines. Udoka ultimately was fired that season but quickly landed a new job as Houston Rockets head coach in April 2023.
The couple apparently broke up after the scandal, but Long continued to move gracefully afterwards. Publicly, she did not bash him — preferring to berate the Celtics for revealing the affair — while continuing to parent her sons Massai Z. Dorsey II, whom she welcomed with ex-fiancé Massai Z. Dorsey, and her son with Udoka, Kez Udoka, 14.
But on June 24, she appeared on the Angie Martinez podcast, giving a closer look at her current co-parenting relationships with Udoka and her first ex-fiancé Dorsey.
“My children’s fathers and I are good,” she said. “Especially now. I feel like now, like we’re all really friends. Like we can all go to dinner.”
Long said that her post-breakup experience has taught her how to love beyond what was once expected in the relationship.
Reflecting on the connection she has with both men because of their children, she said, “My children are going to be connected to you for the rest of my life. So why make it miserable? We can put our differences in the past. We can forgive.”
When asked how long forgiveness has taken, the “Love Jones” star admitted the process took a long time and that she still has to have conversations like these with herself.
“I refuse to not stay in the light in this area,” she said, “I refuse to go the dark side of separation and co-parenting because it can be dark and lonely.”
Martinez asked what were some of Long’s takeaways that she had from that point in her life, and in her response Long said “it was the best thing that ever happened to [her].”
The actress said the moment allowed her to pause and review the great things about that relationship and pour back into herself.
“So it’s not about him. It wasn’t about them. It wasn’t about the headlines. It wasn’t about the opinion. It wasn’t about the trash-a— assistant, it wasn’t about any of that,” she shared.
“It was about how do I preserve what’s left and the new way my family is now,” she added. “Because I could just walk away and never talk to you ever again. and how does that affect my son? No, I’m not going to do that.”
The 55-year-old added, “I’m going to let you know what time it is. I’m not going to pretend like some sh-t didn’t happen. But I’m going to also be forgiving and be your friend. And that’s good. That’s healthy.”
One fan reacting to Long’s response wrote, “Nia is a class act to be studied. She is so cool. I love her.”
Another person who seems to admire Long’s grace said, “I love how she has handled her situation.”
Someone else who seemed to disagree with her being friends with Udoka wrote, “Being a friend is a privilege, you can be cordial and peaceful while coparenting.”
A fourth person typed, “Heavy on the trash ass assistant, but don’t forget that man was the problem.”
As for her dating life, earlier this year, Long revealed that she has dabbled in the dating world, but not seriously.
Since becoming single, however, a new wave of men has courted Long, and she appears to welcome the attention.
In an April interview with Playboy magazine, interviewer Jamilah Lemieux mentioned the rise in older women dating younger men.
Long responded, “I’m a big fan of this. I love it. Why not?”
Although she hasn’t revealed any actual dates with younger men, she openly admits she would welcome the opportunity.
