NBA champion Nick Young and Keonna Green decided to participate in VH1 Couples Retreat to give their 20-year relationship a much-needed tune-up. The longtime couple has been through a series of ups and downs courtesy of Young’s playing career. Now that he’s no longer on the court and having trouble settling into everyday life, they found the show to be the perfect opportunity to confront their issues.
With the help of coaches AJ Johnson and John Salley, they did just that. Shadow and Act Unscripted spoke with Young about his experience on the show.
Why he says the couple decided to do the show
The couple have been together for 20 years, on and off, and share three children together. On Couples Retreat, Young says things have grown a little stale because of life’s circumstances of family and getting complacent. But, he’s ready to turn things up a notch.
“We are a lot like best friends, and I feel like we crack jokes with each other too much. And then the kids came into play, and I’m a big kid myself, so I wanted them to be in the bed with us most of the time, or all the time and I like when they sleep close to me and play a little and being able to like just see their little faces.”
But it’s caused them to lose the romance and intimacy aspect of their relationship. He was hoping the show could get them back to a better place.
He learned that his past mistakes and decisions caused Green much heart
No one will forget Young’s decision to date and nearly marry Iggy Azalea. That relationship ended when Azalea discovered video footage of Young and Greene in their home while she was away. It’s not something Greene regrets, but the public relationship Young had with another woman caused much hurt. During the show, Young realized just how deeply it continued to impact their relationship.
“She hadn’t moved on from it. As I was on the show, I realized more that she ever moved off of it. I felt like I’d swept it under the rug more than anything,” he admits. “I try not to talk about it instead of talking about it and apologizing and listening to her. I don’t do that. And now that I was on the show, I get a better understanding of how she felt about the whole situation.”
Watch the full interview above. The show airs every Monday on VH1 at 9 p.m. EST.
