May 1, 2023
‘Nothing But Positive Energy Over Here’, Nia Long Thanks Stephen A. Smith Amid Ime Udoka Affair Drama
Stephen A. Smith is still not feeling how Nia Long had her good name dragged in the mud thanks to her cheating ex-fiancé, Ime Udoka.
The famed sports commentator took to his Know Mercy podcast Friday to defend Long in the wake of Udoka’s affair that got him suspended from his coaching position with the Boston Celtics after engaging in an affair with a female staffer.
“Even if they’re not together, that is the father of her child,” Smith said in reference to Long and Udoka’s 11-year-old son, Kez. “If you mention him and another woman, inevitably, she’s going to come up.”
“How come nobody thought about the sister? How come they just left her out there standing on her own?” he added. “I will always defend her. I will always defend her on this issue. It was- how could you do that?”
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Last Wednesday, Udoka spoke with the media for the first time after the Houston Rockets named him as their new head coach, People reported. He decided to “take responsibility for” his actions and spoke on his growth in the months since the cheating scandal went public.
“I preach that to the players and so I have to take responsibility for my part in it,” he said.
But Smith thinks Udoka addressing the scandal during a press conference wasn’t the right move, considering his famous ex-fianceé continues to have her name tied to his poor actions.
“You didn’t have to do it that way,” Smith said. “But to have a press conference and put this business tacitly or otherwise on Front Street, you didn’t think about Nia Long at all.”
“But you thought about the other woman, who purportedly was white. And the one woman in this equation who was innocent and victimized was not the woman that Ime Udoka was messing around with. It was Nia Long. She was the one screwed over!”
Long showed appreciation for the sports pundit extending support and left a comment thanking him for defending her.
“Thank you @stephenasmith for your support. TBC…” she wrote before adding in a follow-up. “‘The most disrespected person in America is the black woman’ – Malcolm X.”
The Best Man star followed up with a cryptic post on her page about “revenge.”
“The best revenge is, no revenge. Move on. Be Happy,” the post read.
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She also took to Twitter with a message confirming how unbothered she is by the cheating scandal resurfacing in the press.
“Reading into something and creating a false narrative is pure ignorance. I’m sure there’s something more newsworthy to talk about. Move on! Nothing but positive energy over here,” she tweeted.
Reading into something and creating a false narrative is pure ignorance. I'm sure there's something more news worthy to talk about. Move on! Nothing but positive energy over here. 😘
— Nia Long (@NiaLong) April 30, 2023