Longtime ESPN NBA color commentator Jeff Van Gundy was one of several on-air personalities laid off by the network last week due to Disney-mandated budget cuts.
Van Gundy, who was a staple in the NBA booth since 2007, is now looking to return to the sidelines as a coach, sources told Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix.
Mannix elaborated on the Van Gundy news in a column released on Thursday.
“Jeff Van Gundy, a cost cutting casualty at ESPN last week, has been actively exploring a return to coaching, sources told Sports Illustrated. 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. Van Gundy, who won 57.5% of his games as a head coach in New York and Houston, won 52 games in his last season with the Rockets.”
Despite not coaching for the better part of the last two decades, Van Gundy has remained extremely involved in the league through his broadcasting endeavors. Now that those have concluded for the time being, the opportunity for Van Gundy to get back into coaching makes more sense.
