Nia Long was born in Brooklyn, New York, to teacher and printmaker Talita Long (née Gillman) and high school teacher and poet Doughtry Long. Her mother is Trinidadian, Grenadian, and Bajan. She has an elder half-sister, Sommore, who is an actress and comedian.

Long’s parents split when she was two years old. She came to Iowa City, Iowa, with her mother to pursue fine arts. Long’s mother relocated to South Los Angeles when she was seven years old in order to marry there.

Talita opted to stay in Los Angeles when she and her fiancé called off their wedding. Long grew up in Trenton, New Jersey, with his father.

From third through sixth grade, she was bused from South Los Angeles to Paseo Del Rey Elementary School in Playa del Rey, California, and then to St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood, California. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, gymnastics, guitar, and acting in addition to her scholastic lessons. In 1989, she graduated from Westchester High School in Los Angeles.

Massai Zhivago Dorsey II, sometimes known as Massai Dorsey Jr. on the internet, is the son of actress Nia Long. In addition, he has a half-brother named Kez Sunday Udoka. Massai Dorsey Jr. was born in the United States on November 26, 2000.

Kez Sunday Udoka is the son of Nia Long, an American actress, and Ime Udoka, a retired basketball player. Kez Sunday Udoka, the first child of his celebrity parents, was born on November 6, 2011.