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After being fired by ESPN — in a move that Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo thinks might have been influenced by the NBA — Jeff Van Gundy is reportedly “actively exploring” a return to coaching.
The 61-year-old Van Gundy, who had been with ESPN for over 15 years, last coached in the NBA when he was with the Houston Rockets from 2003 to 2007.
The height of Van Gundy’s coaching career came in the late 1990s with the New York Knicks when he led the team to the 1999 NBA Finals, which they ultimately lost to Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs.
According to a recent report from Sports Illustrated, Van Gundy has reportedly been in talks with teams such as the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, and Washington Wizards regarding an assistant coaching role.
Van Gundy, who last coached in the NBA in 2007, has been discussing assistant coaching jobs with several teams. Dallas and Boston discussed roles with Van Gundy before beefing up their coaching staffs. There’s some mutual interest in Washington, where the Wizards have room on Wes Unseld Jr.’s staff. [via Sports Illustrated]
While it’s been a long time since Van Gundy coached in the NBA, his final season in Houston was a relatively successful one as the team won 52 games. During his time in both Houston and New York City, Van Gundy — the younger brother of fellow NBA coach Stan Van Gundy — won over 57% of his games.
Van Gundy was just one of many on-air talents to be fired by ESPN at the end of Q2 as a reported cost-cutting measure.
In addition to Van Gundy, the likes of Suzy Kolber, Steve Young, Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, Jalen Rose, Todd McShay, Matt Hasselbeck, David Pollack, Andre Ward, Doug Kezirian, Ashley Brewer, Joon Lee, LaPhonso Ellis, Nick Friedell, Jordan Cornette, Gene Wojciechowski, and Jason Fitz were let go by the network.
The lay-offs at ESPN have caused more controversy than normal given the impending arrival of Pat McAfee, who recently signed an $85 million deal with the network.