HOFer suggest who should've been fired over JVG

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and former NBA coach George Karl Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Hall of Fame coach suggests who should've been fired instead of Jeff Van Gundy

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 7/2/23

Jeff Van Gundy is among roughly 20 on-air personalities being let go by ESPN in a reported effort to save "tens of millions of dollars."

The former Houston Rockets and New York Knicks head coach joins other big names like Jalen Rose to be laid off.

Van Gundy has been with the network since his coaching career concluded 16 years ago, and Hall of Fame coach George Karl took to Twitter to react to the news. Karl appeared to hint that ESPN should've have cut ties with Van Gundy's broadcast mate Mark Jackson instead.

Letting go of JVG but not the guy who left Jokic out of his top 5 MVP candidates??
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) June 30, 2023

Jackson infamously (and accidentally) snubbed Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic on his MVP ballot in May, calling the mishap an "honest mistake." Jackson's explanation for being the only media member not to include Jokic in his top-five vote-getters was that he thought he was submitting a vote for All-NBA teams.

The former Rookie of the Year point guard-turned Golden State Warriors head coach trolled himself and made sure to vote for the "Joker" as the NBA Finals MVP after the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games.

According to a report by Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post, Van Gundy was the "top NBA game analyst" for the "Worldwide Leader in Sports." The 61-year-old had worked alongside Jackson and Mike Breen as a part of ABC and ESPN's television coverage of the NBA Finals, plus numerous regular season and postseason games.

Per the report, while Van Gundy's exact salary wasn't known, it was in the "millions."

More must-reads: