Jeff Van Gundy was one of the highest profile casualties of ESPN layoffs this summer. After calling a record number of NBA Finals for ABC and ESPN, Van Gundy has been quiet about his next steps with the new NBA season approaching.
While any network would be lucky to have Van Gundy on their announcer lineup, there were also reports that he may be interested in a return to coaching in some form. And as it turns out, Van Gundy may very well be on his way back to working with an NBA team and leaving broadcasting.
Although there hasn’t been an official announcement from the franchise, internet sleuths on Reddit discovered something very interesting. Van Gundy’s name is currently listed on the Boston Celtics website as a “Senior Consultant” for Joe Mazzulla and the coaching staff. Here is the proof.
Unless there’s another Jeff Van Gundy that is a great basketball mind, odds are that’s the former ESPN analyst and head coach of the Knicks and Rockets.
During the summer, Chris Mannix reported at Sports Illustrated that JVG had talked to the Celtics and Dallas Mavericks about a coaching role, yet it seemed that nothing had been finalized. A “Senior Consultant” role is rather nebulous, but it’s notable that this is clearly a formal role with the team of some kind. It would be a big coup for the Celtics to add his experience and expertise, especially after questions were swirling around the performance of Joe Mazzulla during the playoffs.
We’ll have to wait and see if the Celtics make it official related to Van Gundy before the season begins or what his exact duties may be, especially now that his name has been discovered on the team website.
UPDATE: Marc Stein shared that the Celtics did indeed confirm Jeff Van Gundy has joined the coaching staff on Saturday morning.