Nia Long Names Celtics Staffer In Explosive Post About Ime Udoka Affair — And She’s Not Done Calling Out The Team

It’s been nearly two years since Nia Long’s world turned upside down.
But the actress still isn’t ready to let the Boston Celtics — or the woman at the center of the scandal — off the hook.

This week, Long went public with a name most of the NBA world had never heard before: Kathleen Lynch.
And she didn’t just drop it quietly — she made sure the message landed.

A Name And A Message

On Tuesday, the Hollywood star posted a searing Instagram Story that tagged the Celtics directly and called out their handling of the affair between her then-fiancé, head coach Ime Udoka, and Lynch, a member of the team’s staff.

Long paired her caption with a pointed video clip: a Black woman telling two white women about being “unmoved by white tears.” Her caption pulled no punches:

“Where was this level of awareness a year ago @celtics ??? #kathleenlynch”

It was the first time Long had personally attached a name to the woman she says helped end her relationship — and the post lit up social media instantly.

The Scandal That Took Down A Coach

In September 2022, the Celtics suspended Udoka after news broke of his affair with a female staffer — alleged to be Lynch, who was married at the time.

While Udoka lost his job, Lynch kept hers, a decision that has fueled criticism ever since. Fans accused the team of a double standard. Long has never hidden her belief that accountability wasn’t equally applied.

“The Most Heartbreaking Thing”

In the months after the scandal erupted, Long spoke openly about how the Celtics’ decision to make the affair public blindsided her family.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in December, she recalled the moment her son found out:

“The most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public. It was devastating, and it still is. He still has moments where it’s not easy for him.”

She also revealed the team never checked in on her or her children:

“If you’re in the business of protecting women — 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.”

Moving On — But Not Forgetting

Not long after the news broke, Long called off her engagement to Udoka, ending their relationship for good.

Udoka, after serving his suspension, has since resurfaced in the NBA — now as head coach of the Houston Rockets. Long, meanwhile, has focused on her career and her family, but this week’s post makes it clear she hasn’t forgotten how it all went down.

By putting a name to the woman involved, Long has taken back a measure of control in a story that once left her blindsided.

And if the comments flooding her Instagram are any indication, she has plenty of people in her corner — and plenty still ready to hold the Celtics accountable.