When asked whether she and her cheating Boston Celtics fiance Ime Udoka were patching things up, Fresh Prince of Bel Air actress Nia Long remained mute and even laughed at the inquiry.
The 51-year-old celebrity was asked to react on the reported adultery by a photographer in Los Angeles on Saturday. This was her first public appearance since learning of her NBA head coach partner’s affair with a staff member.
Video of the encounter shows the celebrity, who is still wearing her engagement ring and is dressed in all black, declining to respond as reports of her future husband’s affair with an unknown staff member continue to dominate headlines.
Long, who was there with her and Udoka’s ten-year-old son, Kez, throughout the interaction, laughs exasperatedly when asked if they were working things out before leaving and getting into her vehicle.
The conversation took place as Long was leaving a nearby Whole Foods, and it happened more than a day after the actress told TMZ in a statement that she was ‘blindsided’ by the relationship. According to reports, she only found out about the romance after the Celtics banned Udoka, 45, on Thursday.
The staff member’s ban, which would keep him or her off the job for a full year, was justified by the fact that Udoka, a former player who was about to begin his second season as the Celtics’ captain, broke the law by having a consensual relationship with a staff member.
The employee’s identity has not yet been disclosed.
Udoka, the second-year head coach of the Celtics with a once-impeccable reputation, was fired on Thursday for’multiple’ unidentified rules infractions that would result in a season-long suspension.
He apologized for disappointing our players, fans, the whole Celtics organization, and his family in a message on Thursday night.
“I apologize for placing the team in this difficult circumstance, and I respect the team’s choice.
I won’t speak more out of respect for everyone concerned.
The amount of the alleged “substantial financial punishment” that Udoka endured has not been made public.
According to reports, the 45-year-old had an inappropriate connection with a female employee.
The identity of the lady is unknown.
Boston said in the official statement that Udoka’s future will be decided “at a later date” and named assistant Joe Mazzulla as the interim head coach.
With her part as Will Smith’s girlfriend Lisa Wilkes in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Long became well-known.
She also had roles in Soul Food, Big Momma’s House, and Boyz In The Hood.
In addition, the adored actress has won three NAACP Image Awards and a Black Reel Award.