ESPN will add former Heat, Magic, and Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy to its stable of studio analysts. Van Gundy will appear on a variety of programs at the network according to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post. Marchand also notes that the two sides are yet to formalize the deal with a contract.
Stan Van Gundy is no stranger to ESPN, and that hasn’t always been a good thing. He has made frequent appearances on The Dan Le Batard Show. He also was set to formally join the network six years ago. Marchand notes that when that didn’t come to fruition, Van Gundy was less than gracious about it.
Six years ago Van Gundy was nearly on ESPN’s air, but things fell apart, because in Van Gundy’s eyes, then commissioner David Stern, put the kibosh on the deal due to Van Gundy’s outspoken nature. At the time, Van Gundy said ESPN lied.
Perhaps the best known dust up between the two sides came in January when Van Gundy, then coach and president of the Detroit Pistons, took exception to a story filed by an ESPN reporter in which LaVarr Ball criticized Lakers coach Luke Walton. He characterized the reporting as “a cheap shot” and threatened to boycott ESPN.
“I don’t have a problem with LaVar Ball. He’s a grown man. He can voice whatever opinion he wants. I got a problem with ESPN deciding that’s a story,” Van Gundy said as he threatened to deny future interview opportunities to ESPN.
Stan Van Gundy’s older brother, Jeff, is part of ESPN and ABC’s lead NBA play-by-play crew along with Mike Breen and Mark Jackson. It is unknown whether Jeff played a role in bringing the two sides together.
