Boston Celtics hire Jeff Van Gundy as senior consultant after ESPN layoff
Jeff Van Gundy wasn't out of a job for long.
Months after the longtime NBA television broadcaster was laid off by ESPN, Van Gundy was hired by the Boston Celtics as a senior consultant, head coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed on Saturday.
"Anytime you can add high-character, high-level, professional people, I think it’s a no-brainer," Mazzulla said of Van Gundy. "Fortunate enough that he’s here, not just for the coaching staff, but everybody."
Mazzulla said Van Gundy, who served as the head coach of the New York Knicks (1996-2002), Houston Rockets (2003-2007) and the United States men's national basketball team (2017 FIBA AmeriCup Tournament), has "been through every imaginable situation in the NBA and coaching." Mazzulla added, "We are lucky to have him. He's a great listener and hard worker. He's added a lot of value event the first couple weeks he's been here."
MIKE BREEN: ESPN laying off co-commentators Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson 'was a surprise'
Van Gundy served as an color commentator alongside play-by-play announcers Mike Breen and Mark Jackson, the network's lead basketball broadcasting team that covered 15 NBA Finals together, including the Denver Nuggets' win over the Miami Heat for their first championship in franchise history last season.
Van Gundy was one of nearly 20 on-air personalities laid off by ESPN in June as a cost-cutting measure. Jackson was let go a month later, saying he was "shocked and dismayed" by his termination. “You don’t expect it because it was such a great team and to have it completely broken up was a surprise," Breen added.
Jackson and Van Gundy are expected to be replaced by Doris Burke and former NBA coach Doc Rivers, according to reports. Doc Rivers was fired as the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers in May.
Van Gundy, 61, went 430-318 as the coach of the Knicks and Rockets. He led the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals, becoming the first No. 8 seed to ever do so, before losing to the San Antonio Spurs. He was an assistant with the Knicks under Stu Jackson and Pat Riley from 1989 until he succeeded Don Nelson.
He led Team USA basketball to a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup tournament.