Amazon’s Prime Video is preparing to commence its first season of broadcasting the National Basketball Association under a new 11-year media rights deal reportedly worth $1.93 billion per year. The company will be televising weekly regular-season games, the NBA SoFi Play-In Tournament, Emirates NBA Cup, and an exclusive Black Friday game, among other events. Earlier this month, the company was reported to have secured Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker, and Stan Van Gundy.
Meanwhile, Van Gundy was a guest on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and was asked whether a move to Amazon was happening following his work with TNT Sports.
“We’re headed out of the NBA business at the end of this series. And so, you know, I had to find somewhere else to go,” said Van Gundy. “There’s not very many things that I know anything about. If you’re not doing NBA games I’m not of a lot of value. I had to, it was out of necessity I had to find somewhere else to go. I was very lucky that Amazon is willing to give me another opportunity.”
At 65 years old, Van Gundy brings significant coaching experience. Notably, he served as a head coach in the NBA for thirteen seasons. His career includes tenures in Miami, Orlando, Detroit, and New Orleans. Additionally, he has served as a president of basketball operations and is the older brother of former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Since 2019, Van Gundy has been serving in a dual role with TNT Sports. Specifically, he has been calling games from the analyst position for both the network’s NBA coverage and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Furthermore, The New York Times reported last month that Van Gundy would be slated to work alongside Ian Eagle on Prime Video’s telecasts as part of the top play-by-play team on the network.
As of now, Amazon has not released full plans for their basketball coverage.
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