Jeff Van Gundy still appears to have plenty of allies at ESPN and they’re urging NBA teams to consider him for head coaching vacancies.
The former ESPN NBA analyst has played a pivotal role on the Los Angeles Clippers this season as their lead assistant under head coach Ty Lue. And as NBA head coaching vacancies continue to open, Brian Windhorst, Stephen A. Smith and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo championed Van Gundy for the opportunities.
“Clippers player after Clippers player that I’ve talked to this year,” Windhorst began Wednesday morning on First Take. “They all are talking about the impact that Jeff Van Gundy has had on this team and how big of a role he’s had of lifting them up. And yet, there’s all these job openings and I have yet to hear Jeff Van Gundy’s name. So, I am just going to remind the league, that while you’re looking at how well this Clippers team is doing, don’t forget about Jeff Van Gundy.”
Windhorst insisted the pitch was his own and didn’t come from his former ESPN colleague, adding, “he wouldn’t want me to say it.” But after he said it, Stephen A. Smith cosigned.
“I completely one thousand percent echo your sentiments about Jeff Van Gundy,” Smith said. “He’s a head coach in this league. He deserves to be a head coach in this league. He’s an exceptional coach and a great basketball mind and Ty Lue can’t stop raving about the job that he has done in Los Angeles.”
While on the topic of Van Gundy, Smith made sure to add that another former ESPN colleague, Mark Jackson also deserves another head coaching opportunity in the NBA.
Chris Russo similarly shared their sentiments about Van Gundy, but also praised his ability as a TV analyst.
“I will three-peat what these two said about Van Gundy,” Russo said. “And he was a great analyst. let’s not forget that too. He was great on TV. Not good, great. Funny. Great.”
Russo’s praise of Van Gundy as an analyst, while borderline indisputable, probably isn’t something ESPN wants to promote too often. Van Gundy, of course, was let go by ESPN in 2023 after 16 years as their lead NBA analyst. And while Van Gundy has admitted he’s still hurt by the firing, it was that cost-cutting decision by ESPN that put him back on the path to being an NBA coach again.
One of the biggest counters to the idea of Van Gundy deserving a head coaching opportunity in recent cycles was the fact that he hasn’t held one since 2006. And that may have been a fair criticism two years ago, but it’s not now. After getting let go by ESPN, Van Gundy began working his way back up the coaching ranks, first, as a consultant with the Boston Celtics last season, and now as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers. His near two decades away from coaching should no longer be held against Van Gundy.