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ESPN’s NBA broadcasts underwent some significant changes last offseason, as longtime members of the team in Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were laid off and replaced by Doris Burke and Doc Rivers (who was later replaced by JJ Redick when he was hired as the Milwaukee Bucks new head coach midway through the season.) The moves were surprising, and some folks wondered if there was something going on that they didn’t know about.
Van Gundy was a polarizing commentator, and he often drew the ire of the NBA for his frequent complaining about the game’s officiating. Rumors swirled suggesting that the league stepped in and ordered ESPN to move on from him, and while it was recently reported that the league complained about Van Gundy to ESPN, they were not responsible for their decision to move on from him.
“Though the NBA did not like Van Gundy’s criticism of its officiating — and complained about it to ESPN — there is no proof that the league ordered his banishment. One concern ESPN had, according to executives briefed on their decision-making, was that Van Gundy would jump back into coaching, which he had flirted with for years.” – Andrew Marchand, The Athletic
Jeff Van Gundy found his way back into the NBA after ESPN firing
While there’s no doubt the NBA wasn’t a fan of Van Gundy and his commentating, they weren’t the reason he got let go of by ESPN. Ultimately, the company had their own concerns about Van Gundy and his future in broadcasting, as they feared that he would eventually return to the league as a coach, which is something he had flirted with doing in the past.
Sure enough, once he was let go of by ESPN, Van Gundy found his way back into the NBA, although in a somewhat unique role. The Boston Celtics would end up hiring Van Gundy to join them as a senior consultant, and he’s been seen hanging around the team from time to time throughout the year.
Given the somewhat poor reception the new crew of Mike Breen, Burke, and Redick have gotten this year, this move may not have gone the way ESPN had hoped it would. Of course, their plans quickly went awry when Rivers was scooped up by the Bucks after they shockingly fired Adrian Griffin, but for the most part, Breen, Van Gundy, and Jackson were a solid crew together.
It will be interesting to see if ESPN ends up making more changes to their broadcasting crew after the season ends, but even in the unlikely event they call Van Gundy back, it seems like he’s pretty content in his current gig. And now that he’s got his foot in the door in the league again, it ultimately wouldn’t be a big surprise to see him try to get back into coaching in the near future.
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