“The Celtics made a choice to make my family business public, and I don’t understand why. It could’ve all been handled internally. I do understand why, but I can’t talk about it. Maybe one day I will.”
– Nia Long
(Via @TheCut ) pic.twitter.com/Aa0h6KkTYd
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 10, 2023
Nia Long: “The Celtics made a choice to make my family business public, and I don’t understand why. It could’ve all been handled internally. I do understand why, but I can’t talk about it. Maybe one day I will. You know, fear drives stupidity, and I’ll leave that right there. I’ve learned that I’m stronger than I ever was.”
When asked if the subject was hard to talk about she said,
“No, not at all. I just don’t wanna talk about it because it’s personal and I’m still figuring it out. I’m still going. Wait, did this really happen? Because, you know, when you’re with someone for 12, 13 years, you think you know them.”
(from her interview with from the February issue of The Cut magazine)
by ThePhotogenicPotato
30 Comments
Not sure what she can expect a billion dollar franchise to do when they could be easily sued out of existence if they don’t handle the situation correctly.
Yeah certainly not Ime’s fault…. Definitely all on the team who employes him and pays him millions, and who would be on the hook for any legal issues that would have stemmed from a messy break-up, sexual harassment issue (which is why almost every business has rules about inter company fraternization) /s
To me, the Celtics did as much as they could to keep it internal, blame the dang media, cough ESPN cough, for digging in and blowing it up. No Celtics personnel spoke publicly about this beyond noting that Ime was suspended for violating team/organizational policy.
>“The Celtics made a choice to make my family business public, and I don’t understand why.
If she can’t comprehend the dynamics and reasons why it becomes public due to its significant unprofessionalism. I don’t know how to help then.
Yeah let’s just fire our Rookie head Coach that took his team to the finals with no explanation at all. Like I understand the situation was messy, but what were they supposed to do. Especially when it happens at work, it becomes a work matter not just a family matter.
The Celtics didn’t announce any of the details in this publicly. Someone’s agent/pr team made it public.
This is a bad deal all around for Long and I get that she’s probably hurt and upset about all of this but… the Celtics didn’t say Jack about what the reason was
Damned if you do damned if you don’t. How much shit would they be catching (probably legally as well as in the media) if they handled it internally and some aggrieved party eventually leaked things?
This story being kept under wraps would’ve been good for Ime and Nia (and possibly the other team employee at the center) but it becomes an organizational issue when it happens at work. Sorry it’s the 2020s but that’s how it works. Let’s not pretend like this would’ve never come out. She’s looking for someone to blame and missing the actual person who is completely to blame.
Got tired of Nia Long real quick tbh. Feel like Will Smith “keep the Celtics’ name out yo goddamn mouth!”
can she just leave the celtics name out of her mouth already lol
I understand why she is frustrated, but that situation was always going to play out in public. The team suspended a coach after making the Finals the first time in 12 yeas, people going to want to know why. Even if Boston didn’t leak (Which they didn’t Udoka camp leak that) it was going to get out eventually.
She’ll blame everyone but Ime for this situation happening
God I thought she’d realize by now no one in the Celtics org did her wrong. Her anger should be towards Ime and the media
I understand that the whole Udoka scandal must have been very invasive and difficult for Nia Long. I understand why she would be upset. But I don’t understand the anger towards the Celtics from her. They learned about the scandal and were forced to act. They never said what Udoka did beyond the fact that he violated team policy. It was journalists like Woj that leaked the messier details. I’m not really sure what she expected to do? Like the Celtics couldn’t just suspend Udoka and then not offer an explanation when he’s randomly not with the team anymore.
Unless I’m misremembering, the only thing that came out form the Celtics was that Ime was suspended for a year for violating team policy, and that the organization was upset about the way female staff were having their names dragged through the mud.
Everything else was rumors/leaks.
So unless she’s saying that the team should have just swept it under the rug (and risk a massive lawsuit/pr shitstorm if the other woman ever went public) not really sure what she’s looking for here.
Did the Celtics make the decision to make the details public?
What protection should the organization put in place to prevent any member of the Celtics from privately communicating the information? Should they be interrogating everyone involved in the decision to suspend Ime?
Are there times other teams have kept a similar situation under better wraps?
She doesn’t seem to be the brightest.
Yeah Nia, what should’ve happened is that the coach that got us to the Finals would just disappear the following season with 0 explanation at all.
The affair itself could have been handled internally, but Nia doesn’t seem to understand that that once it crossed into harassment, it no longer can be handled quietly and internally. And even then, it wasn’t the Celtics that initially announced it. Someone leaked it, and I find it difficult to imagine it was on the Celtics considering that the original reports came from people affiliated with Ime’s agency.
Ime cheated on her and she’s trying to blame every one but him. That’s extremely pathetic almost feel bad for her. But yeah Celtics should keep it internal and face a mountain of backlash when it finally comes out for “covering it up”. No shot
c’mon Nia
Easier to blame the organization than the guy who did it or herself that missed it.
She keeps forgetting that “consensual relationship” came from Ime’s camp and the Celtics had to refute that to justify their suspension. If Ime’s camp didn’t put stuff in the press, the Celtics would have just said he was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team and left it at that.
Ime did the fucking, Ime put it in public, yet Nia Long blames the Celtics.
This lady has been going out of her way to get media attention put on herself. If she didn’t seek out attention, no one would be talking about her.
Heck, even in this super niche Reddit sub, that’s dedicated to all things Celtics, I hardly even see Ime’s mentioned anymore.
Sure, just suspend/fire the coach that brought us to the Finals. Then never acknowledge it to anyone and act like it never happened. Does she live in reality?
She must think the Celtics leaked to Woj, but a lot of people believe it was Ime who leaked it. The Celtics never mentioned anything other than a violation of team policy.
Mad at the team and not her husband for being an unfaithful sex pest LMAO
Girl, bye
Get over it Nia. The Celtics have moved on and so should you
Ya lets just cover up the fact that your husband abused his powers and embarrasses himself, an organization, and all the other female staffers on the Celtics with rampant allegations. Shes like the abusive g/f that wont put blame on their abusers but tries to pass the blame to someone else. Lost all respect for her
The Celtics didn’t do shit.
Ime, her damn fool of a husband, fucked someone else and The Celtics don’t allow that.
Lady, handle your business in private. The Celtics ain’t got nothing to do with your mess of a marriage.