Nia Long is seeking primary legal and physical custody of her 11-year-old son, Kez, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Ime Udoka.
Long, 52, filed a motion in Los Angeles County Superior Court earlier this month for full custody of Kez, according to court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight. The actress is also requesting that Udoka, 46, receives a “reasonable” visitation schedule in Kez’s “best interest.”
Long alleged in her filing that Udoka, who is currently coaching for the Houston Rockets, “has failed” to provide financial support for Kez following their split.
Udoka has not publicly responded to Long’s claims nor her custody petition. A judge has yet to issue a ruling on the request.
Long and Udoka called off their engagement in December 2022 three months after news broke that the NBA coach allegedly was unfaithful and had an affair with a coworker.
“I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision,” Udoka said in a September 2022 statement, apologizing for his actions. “Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.”
Udoka was the head coach for the Boston Celtics at the time, who suspended him for one year.
Long, for her part, has been disappointed by how the Celtics handled the scandal.
“I think 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,” the Look Both Ways actress — who also shares son Massai, 21, with ex Massai Z. Dorsey — told The Hollywood Reporter the following December. “[Kez] still has moments where it’s not easy for him. … 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.”
She continued at the time: “I literally felt like my heart had jumped out of my body. And then what I found was this tribe of women and men who were standing up for me in a way that felt like I was in this bubble of protection, and that was very comforting.”
Nearly three months later, Long revealed that Kez was still having trouble coping with his parents’ split and his dad’s scandal.
“My only focus right now is my youngest son ’cause he’s having a really tough time,” she told The Cut in a profile published in February. “I’m sure I have some things that I’m suppressing, but I have to do that to take care of him first. That’s the giving. It’s natural.”
Long further noted that she was “trying not to harbor” anger against Udoka following the drama.
