Fresh off winning a ring with the Boston Celtics, Jeff Van Gundy has agreed to join the Los Angeles Clippers coaching staff as Ty Lue’s lead assistant.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the news Tuesday morning. It’s Van Gundy’s first NBA coaching job since he was fired by the Houston Rockets in 2007. During his tenure in Houston, Van Gundy coached Lue in 2004, but the two reportedly built a strong relationship while both working on Team USA’s coaching staff.
Prior to joining the Celtics front office last summer, Van Gundy spent 16 years with ESPN as their lead NBA analyst. That tenure ended when ESPN let Van Gundy go as part of cost-cutting efforts, a surprising decision that subsequently sent the network’s lead NBA booth into a bit of flux this season. One of the reasons ESPN reportedly decided to part ways with Van Gundy after 16 years was because of his coaching interests.
After using that excuse for Van Gundy, ESPN was left with egg on their face when Doc Rivers departed their lead NBA booth midseason for the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coaching job. And Rivers’ replacement, JJ Redick, now appears destined to depart for the Lakers’ head coaching job.
Van Gundy recently described the tribulation he endured this past year, starting with losing his ESPN job, followed by becoming empty nesters, losing his sister-in-law last summer, and his best friend to cancer this spring. It’s fitting that perhaps the hardest year of his life ended with his first NBA championship Monday night, followed by the announcement of his first coaching job since 2007 Tuesday morning.
With the NBA nearing new media rights deals with Amazon and NBC, there could have been a bidding war over Jeff Van Gundy this summer. But joining the Clippers’ coaching staff appears to signal the 62-year-old isn’t interested in calling games next season. While broadcasting opportunities in some form will always be available to him, Van Gundy knows how hard it can be to find the right coaching gig after a 17-year lull.
[ESPN]
