As expected, it didn’t take long before former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy landed another job.
Following his layoff by ESPN earlier in the year, Van Gundy will now serve as a senior consultant for the Boston Celtics for the upcoming campaign, according to a report by Brian Robb of Mass Live (via NBA Central).
Jeff Van Gundy has taken a role as a senior consultant with the Celtics, per @BrianTRobb pic.twitter.com/n6m89feEa5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 14, 2023
Van Gundy was a part of ESPN’s attempts to reduce their payroll, and he was let go alongside dozens of on-air talent making more than $1 million per year.
The often-critical announcer comes with plenty of pedigree in this league, spending 16 years as a broadcaster for the sports giant and announcing each NBA Finals over that span.
Before that, he spent plenty of time on the bench, coaching his way to a 430-318 record in 11 seasons in the league.
He led the New York Knicks to their most recent NBA Finals berth in 1999, where his team lost to the San Antonio Spurs.
He later joined the Houston Rockets in 2003 until 2007, and he hasn’t been a head coach in the NBA ever since.
Still, he handled coaching duties for the U.S. men’s basketball team during the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup Tournament, and he was also an assistant coach during both the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The Celtics have made several big-name hires recently, adding the likes of Sam Cassell and Charles Lee to provide some much-needed experience behind Joe Mazzulla, and they’ll now add a very successful coach to their ranks as well.
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