NBA fans didn’t get to see or hear one of their favorite basketball analysts on TV this season as Jeff Van Gundy was booted from ESPN’s broadcasts before the year tipped off. This led Van Gundy to join the Boston Celtics’ coaching staff as a special advisor to head coach Joe Mazzulla.
But now there’s talk that Van Gundy could land a bigger coaching role on another NBA team’s staff.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, now the Los Angeles Clippers are looking into hiring Van Gundy as an assistant coach on Tyronn Lue’s staff.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that the LA Clippers have strong interest in hiring Celtics special adviser Jeff Van Gundy as a high-profile addition to Tyronn Lue’s coaching staff for next season and a strong chance at succeeding in that pursuit after the NBA Finals are complete,”
Marc Stein on Los Angeles Clippers’ interest in Jeff Van Gundy
Van Gundy and the Celtics are just one win away from taking home the NBA Championship. If he bolts Boston, maybe Los Angeles can land the same luck next season. No matter what, the Clippers would adding an experienced mind with 11 seasons as a head coach to their staff. But so far, Van Gundy has yet to win the NBA Finals. Van Gundy also turned down a chance to join Jason Kidds’ Mavericks coaching staff, before joining Boston.
The last time Van Gundy was more than just a special advisor, came in 2007, his final season as head coach of the Houston Rockets. However, he did spend some time coaching the U.S. men’s national team during the 2017 and 2019 FIBA events.
If Van Gundy doesn’t jump ship to Los Angeles, it’s believed that he’ll receive a promotion on Boston’s coaching staff as one of Mazzulla’s assistants with Charles Lee set to fill the Charlotte Hornets’ coaching vacancy.
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