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“I Like Her”: Shaquille O’Neal Admits Friendship with 45 Year Old Actress Caught in Ime Udoka and Celtics Crossfire

Published 09/30/2022, 10:30 AM EDT

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NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. They have both won a record 17 titles each. The Lakers won the 2020 title to match the record of the Celtics. Last year, the Celtics came close to going back on top again after reaching the NBA Finals. However, they were no match for the seasoned Golden State Warriors who won their fourth title in the last eight years. Despite losing the Finals, the fans were excited to begin the upcoming season because of the team’s performances in the last season.

The superstars in the team were expected to improve. Also, the addition of Malcolm Brogdon to the squad is seen as a huge positive. But things took a nasty turn after revelations about an alleged affair between Ime Udoka and a Celtics staff member surfaced in media reports. Such an incident goes against the organization’s policies.

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After a thorough investigation, the Celtics management decided to suspend Udoka for one year. The fans were confused about the long suspension. And it was met with criticism from some celebrities.

Shaquille O’Neal talks about Nia Long

Recently, singer Adam Levine was also alleged in a cheating scandal. And Shaq was asked about both the issues in his latest podcast. However, Shaquille O’Neal immediately stated that he would not like to talk about it as he himself has cheated in the past. He then said that he knows the two celebrities would be going through a lot at the moment along with their families. The Lakers legend also rued that he lost his family because of his actions.

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“I just wish that certain parties weren’t involved,” O’Neal said. He added, “I’ve known Nia Long for a long time and I like her.”

“They’re going through a lot of family stuff. I’m never the guy that’s gonna get up here because of my platform and fake it,” he added.

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Udoka and Long have been in a long-term relationship and have a son together who was born in 2011. The couple became engaged in 2015, however, are not married yet. The actress recently broke her silence about the whole ordeal. She thanked everyone for their love and support during a difficult period of time. Also, she asked for privacy while she processes everything that is going around her. Long also stated that she will be focussing on her children in these taxing times.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

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Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.
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