Jeff Van Gundy won his first NBA championship ring with the Celtics last week, but he still regrets the blow he received from ESPN after being fired after 16 years as their lead NBA analyst in a cost-cutting measure.
“Any time you get fired from a job, I think that stings stay with you. I’ve been through it before as a coach, and that stings stay with you,” Van Gundy said. ESPN’s Zach Lowe on the Lowe Post On Thursday.
“Whether money is coming in or not, that pain and lack of purpose day to day…if someone says, ‘I’m happier without you than with you,’ that’s definitely going to hit you hard.”
Before being fired by the network, Van Gundy turned down numerous NBA coaching opportunities, including one from Brad Stevens, to focus on television instead.
But in June 2023, Van Gundy received shocking news from ESPN: He was being left behind.
It was what he described as a “stormy” time in his life, with personal issues at home adding to the turmoil, including his son going off to college and the tragic death of his sister-in-law that summer.
As a result, Van Gundy reached out to Stevens again to see if he still had an opportunity.
“I got fired from ESPN and I spoke with Brad again, and he was great. We discussed everything from the G League to coaching, this consulting position. A lot of different things,” he said.
“They didn’t need my help or anything, but I’m so grateful that someone like Brad and Joe helped me out. [Mazzulla] “I did, and it got me a real job.”
Van Gundy said he spent a significant amount of time with the Maine Celtics, their G League affiliate, during his time with the Celtics.
He analyzed games and considered development plans while also providing unwavering support to a Celtics staff, all of whom, except for Sam Cassell, were under 40 years old.
The Celtics helped Van Gundy get back on his feet, and now he’s found his life changing again as he accepted a job as head assistant on coach Tyronn Lue’s Los Angeles Clippers staff.
This new position has allowed him to look back fondly on his year with the Celtics.
“I liked all of them and I learned from all of them and I think the year I had with the Celtics gave the guys that are going to the Clippers a much better chance to be successful than if I hadn’t been in that position this year,” he said.
