Watching Jeff Van Gundy prepare LeBron James and Team USA for the Paris Olympics, one has to question if broadcasting can ever compete with his love of coaching again.
A video surfaced earlier this week of Van Gundy participating in drills during training camp for the United States men’s national basketball team, with LeBron guarding the 62-year-old, 5 foot 9 inch tall former NBA coach. And now that he’s back on the court with the world’s top basketball players, is Van Gundy done broadcasting?
Lakers’ LeBron James locks up Jeff Van Gundy during USA Basketball practice pic.twitter.com/iawYYZUYT0
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 9, 2024
During his tenure as head coach of the New York Knicks, he wrestled with Alonzo Mourning and was accidentally punched by Marcus Camby. His transition to broadcasting always felt like a pause in his passion for teaching basketball. Instead, the rest stop lasted 16 years, until ESPN decided it was time to cease. ESPN let go of Van Gundy last summer during a wave of layoffs, apparently due to his coaching aspirations. After Doc Rivers and JJ Redick both left ESPN’s top booth for coaching possibilities, the decision made them look bad.
Van Gundy is a competent basketball coach, but he was perhaps the NBA’s best analyst. With NBC and Amazon gaining NBA television rights, Van Gundy will surely receive offers to call games again if he wishes.
But it is a big if. Van Gundy had many coaching interviews at ESPN, but none of them resulted in a job offer. After being let go by ESPN, Van Gundy took a job in the Boston Celtics front office, where he earned his first NBA championship ring. That led to Van Gundy accepting an assistant coaching position with the Los Angeles Clippers under his friend and Team USA colleague Ty Lue.
A front-office post with the Celtics and an assistant coaching role with the Clippers are probably not jobs Van Gundy would have left ESPN for a few years back. But now that he’s had a taste of being a member of an NBA squad again, how much longer will it take to entice Van Gundy back into the booth?
