- Nia Long is an actress known for roles in popular movies like Boyz N The Hood.
- She is reportedly single after a recent split from Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka.
- She was previously romantically linked to comedians Chris Rock and Chris Tucker.
- Nia’s rep confirmed her split from Ime two months after he was suspended from the Boston Celtics due to an alleged affair with a female on the NBA team’s staff.
Nia Long split from Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, who was suspended on September 22, 2022 for an alleged consensual relationship with a female on the NBA team’s staff, her rep confirmed to PEOPLE on December 6, 2022. “The situation is unfortunate and painful, but Nia is focusing on her children and rebuilding her life,” a source also told the outlet while the rep said they’re “no longer together but remain fully committed to co-parenting their son [Kez].”
Nia, 45, who made a name for herself as a beloved actress in such 90s classics as Love Jones and Boyz N The Hood, previously released a statement thanking fans for their support amid the controversy amid Ime’s reported affair. “The outpouring love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me,” Nia said in the statement to HollywoodLife. “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.”
While Nia and Ime sort through their relationship and hopefully come out better than ever, let’s take a deep dive into the beauty’s past romances. Keep reading to find out all about Nia’s love life, below!
Chris Rock
Nia and Chris had a brief romance when they were both coming up in Hollywood. However, after their first date, things didn’t exactly go as planned, according to Nia. “We went on a date and after we kinda hung out, and then he took me back to Brooklyn and I’m like ‘Okay, so I guess this is the part where you exchange numbers,’” she explained on the Wendy Williams Show. “Make a long story short and a week goes by and I didn’t hear from him, he gave me his number and I gave him mine, and I’m like ‘God, he didn’t call me.’ And finally I call him and I dial the number and this…man, gave me a wrong number!” Chris hilariously admitted it on the show, saying she was “obnoxious” when they met. The pair obviously laugh about it now.
Chris Tucker
Another comedian named Chris gave nia quite the dating anecdote as well. In 1995, the pair were filming the comedy classic Friday when they began to have an interest in each other. As Nia describes it, she had more jobs in Hollywood than Chris at the time, so she was able to afford a BMW, something that she flossed a bit in front of Chris, until he got his hilarious payback.
“Back then this seemed like a big purchase. I bought myself a BMW. It was so cute,” she began to tell the story to AV/TVClub, per ILoveOldSchoolMusic.com. “I was shooting Friday at the time, and Chris Tucker and I saw each other on the freeway, on the way to the set. He had a busted window with a pizza box over it because he couldn’t afford to fix the window! We get to work and he goes, “When I grow up, I want to be just like you.'”
However, Chris became a big blockbuster star (see Rush Hour franchise with Jackie Chan) and the tables were soon turned. “Cut to—all the money he made,” Nia continued. “Two years ago, we go out to dinner and he picked me up in—ready?—a Phantom Rolls-Royce, which—I couldn’t even figure out how to get the damn car door opened. I said to him: ‘Oh, you want to be like me? I think the tables have turned.’”
Massai Dorsey
Nia met actor Massai Dorsey on the set of her NBC crime drama Third Watch, which ran from 1999 to 2005. The two began dating and welcomed son Massai Dorsey II on November 26, 2000. At one point the new parents were engaged, but ultimately went their separate ways shortly after the birth.
Ime Udoka
In 2010, Nia revealed she was dating former basketball star Ime. Two years later, the couple got a huge surprise: they were pregnant! Nia, who was 40 at the time, discovered she was with child during a routine visit to the doctor! When they welcomed Kez Sunday Udoka in November on 2010, the couple shared the news to the world. “Words can’t explain how thrilled we are by the new addition to our family,” Nia and Ime said in the statement. “We feel truly blessed and appreciate all the well wishes and prayers.”
In 2015, the couple got engaged. Yet after he popped the question, Nia appeared to have doubts about walking down the aisle. “I understand the religious aspect of marriage. That is beautiful and it’s fantastical and it’s dreamy and it’s every girl’s fantasy to have that moment. But I don’t know that I need that to feel like I’m in a partnership that’s working,” she said on the Yes Girl podcast in Dec. 2020. The couple split in Dec. 2022, two months after Ime made headlines for being suspended for an alleged consensual relationship with a female on the Boston Celtics staff.