Back in September of 2022, Ime Udoka was under scrutiny after the then-Boston Celtics coach was suspended for the entire 2022-2023 campaign. After investigation, it was discovered that Udoka had an inappropriate relationship with a member of the franchise’s staff. Within a couple of months, Ime Udoka and his fiancé – Nia Long – put an end to their marriage of 13 years. More than a year later, it is now reported that Udoka has to provide Long a whopping $32,500 per month in child support for their 12-year-oldson.
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After the couple’s split, their sole focus became the welfare of their son Kez. As reported by Complex, an insider revealed, “Nia is focusing on her children and rebuilding her life.”
Being the head coach of the Houston Rockets, Udoka earns $465,000 per month. So, while $32,500 is a lot of money, it likely won’t cause too much damage to Udoka’s lifestyle. That said, even if it did cause a bit of damage, it is hard to feel too much remorse for the head coach, as he did bring this upon himself.
Apart from bashing Udoka, Long also expressed her dissatisfaction with the Boston Celtics franchise. According to the American actress, the franchise could’ve dealt with the incident internally, without letting out every detail to the public. Further, she also revealed being disappointed after having not received any apology from the organization’s management.
“I’m sorry, no one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK. It’s very disappointing,” Long said.
Long’s thoughts on the matter are far from being wrong. Udoka’s actions, while not the best, did not need to be made public. By hanging him out to dry in the court of public opinion, the Celtics performed a massive disservice to all parties in this situation, as the announcement private matters to light. Due to this, the victim here, Nia Long, likely felt violated by the breach of her privacy, hence motivating her to speak out on the matter.
Nia Long detailed how the actions of Ime Udoka affected her life
In the month the details of the cheating scandal were made public, Nia Long spoke publicly on the matter. In the statement that she released, Nia highlighted the “love and support” she received from her dear ones.
“The outpouring love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me,” Long told Us Weekly.
More than a year later, Nia reflected upon her devastating split with Ime Udoka. During an interview appearance, the celebrity used the platform to reveal her learnings from the heartbreak. While talking to rapper Jeezy, Long said:
“It 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.'”
After being suspended for the entire 2022-2023 season, Ime Udoka was given the opportunity as the head coach of the Houston Rockets. During the press conference, Udoka admitted to his mistakes and promised reporters that he was now a changed man.
“I apologized to a lot of people for the position I put them in, and I stand by that… I spent this last offseason working on myself in a lot of different ways, improving in areas. A chance to sit back to reflect and grow, and I think that will make me a better coach and an overall better leader,” Udoka said.
As a professional, Udoka is doing a great job as the Rockets’ head coach. Leading the team to an impressive 18-16 record, the 46-year-old has proven to be worth every penny of the four-year, $28.5 million deal he was handed by the Texas-based franchise.
