Stan Van Gundy doesn’t know if his style as a broadcaster has evolved at all.
During a recent interview on The Sports Media Podcast with host Austin Karp, the NBA on TNT analyst was asked how his style has changed over the years, particularly as he has become more involved in the media since his 13-year stint as an NBA head coach. Interestingly, he did not mention relying on his brother Jeff, who enjoyed a successful career as an ESPN analyst. Rather, Van Gundy highlighted some of his other cohorts at TNT.
“I respect a lot of people and, obviously, I watch a lot of NBA basketball, so I hear not only the other national guys, but I also hear all the local guys, and there’s some really, really good people with far more experience than I have,” Van Gundy said. “What I’ve tried to focus on is just being better with the guys I work with. I tend to be — as you already noticed on this podcast — I tend to be too wordy at times and I need to get in and out quicker making my points. I try to learn from those guys. I ask for feedback. All of them have helped me.”
Van Gundy said that he actively solicits feedback from colleagues to hone his craft. Longtime play-by-play voice Brian Anderson, who is often Van Gundy’s broadcast partner, goes the extra mile by reviewing film with him and offering constructive criticism. Additionally, a top producer at TNT Sports, Tom Heitz, also dedicates time to film review sessions, providing valuable — and even sometimes critical — feedback for Van Gundy.
“It’s one of the things I noticed in coaching, and I say all the time to people, people take the word criticism as a negative,” continued Van Gundy. “In fact, when I say want criticism, people sort of repel a little bit because they take that as a negative, and it’s not. It’s, you know, breaking down what you need to do better. And so, I’ve been lucky that I’ve had people around me who have helped, and I’m just going to continue to try to get better.”
Whether his style has definitively “evolved” is debatable, but Van Gundy undoubtedly makes a conscious effort to get better and make himself an invaluable part of TNT Sports’ roster of color commentators for the NBA.
