After he was laid off from ESPN last Friday in a large cut of 20 members of the network’s on-air personality lineup, Jeff Van Gundy may not be returning to the sports media scene at all. Van Gundy, who coached for several years in collegiate basketball and the National Basketball Association, is reportedly exploring opportunities to restart that part of his career. Sports Illustrated writer Chris Mannix reported that Van Gundy has been in discussions for an assistant coaching role in the NBA. In fact, he met with the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks before those teams fortified their coaching staffs, but could now be a fit alongside Wes Unseld Jr. and the Washington Wizards.
Van Gundy has not coached in an NBA game since the 2007 season, during which he helped the team, with Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo and Tracy McGrady, to win 52 games. After he was fired from the team, Van Gundy took his talents to ESPN and began broadcasting marquee matchups, including the NBA Finals, alongside Mike Breen and Mark Jackson. Over the years, consumers and those within the game of basketball have regarded him as a savant and innovator, and he has not been shy about sharing his opinions on changes the game should make to optimize play.
When he was with the New York Knicks as an assistant coach, the team won the Eastern Conference Finals before being defeated by Houston in seven games. During each season of Van Gundy’s head coaching tenure with the team – which lasted from 1996 to 1999 – the team lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, competing against Hall of Famers such as Michael Jordan, Alonzo Mourning and Reggie Miller. Throughout his time as a head coach in the Association, Van Gundy won 57.5% of his games and garnered the respect of his players and opponents.
Basketball fans have grown accustomed to Van Gundy commentating showcase matchups and many of the most important games of the playoffs. As a fixture in this type of coverage, many viewers find it hard to believe that he will be out of the sports media industry altogether.
There are several open job opportunities across the industry right now for an experienced talent – perhaps even as the new co-host of Undisputed with Skip Bayless. Many people, however, seem to hope he will ink a contract with Warner Bros. Discovery and contribute to the NBA on TNT, perhaps either on Inside the NBA or with his brother, Stan, on showcase games. The NBA’s current media rights agreement with ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery expires following the 2024-25 season, a time when the entity could evidently consider a long-awaited expansion to 32 teams.
Following the surprising dismissal of Van Gundy, ESPN is reportedly preparing to add a third member to its lead broadcast team from the internal talent pool. JJ Redick, however, seems to be the frontrunner to land the coveted position and further expand his role with ESPN, a network he joined full time following his retirement in 2021. Jalen Rose, who served as a panelist on NBA Countdown, the signature shoulder program for the NBA on ESPN, was laid off last week as well and could be replaced by Kendrick Perkins. Akin to Redick, Perkins has expanded his presence across the network’s platforms and programming.
