After coming off one of the best seasons for a first-year coach in NBA history, including a trip to the NBA Finals, Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has been exposed to having a consensual and intimate affair with a co-worker and will be suspended for the upcoming 2022-23 NBA season. Udoka is engaged to well-known actress Nia Long.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka had an improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. It’s been deemed a violation of franchise’s code of conduct.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2022
The Boston Celtics have suspended head coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 23, 2022
Udoka has earned respect for his coaching ability in just one season as an NBA head coach; however, this will have people lose a lot, if not all, of respect for him. Cheating at any level is unacceptable; therefore, it is very justificative to see the type of punishment Udoka received.
Udoka and Long have been in a relationship together since 2011, so that is over ten years, and this will likely be the end of that long-time romance. Long was spotted at several games this past season in support of her husband. She was also in the building for each Eastern Conference Finals Game versus the Miami Heat and attended the NBA Finals in which Udoka and the Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors.
Long issued a statement to PEOPLE, saying,””The outpouring of love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me, 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.”
This is a situation that came out of the blue, thus, very much surprising people around the basketball world as well as the entertainment world.
Celtics assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will fill in as the head coach of the Celtics for the upcoming season on an interim basis.
The Celtics have made assistant coach Joe Mazzulla the interim head coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 23, 2022
Now we shall wait and see if the Celtics will decide to keep Udoka after the upcoming season or if they will let him go for good. One thing we know is that the beautiful and talented Nia Long will bounce back from this, and the world is behind her with love and support.
Let us know what you think about Udoka’s affair and season-long suspension by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
