Recently fired ESPN analyst turns away Mavs after interview

Jeff Van Gundy. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Recently fired ESPN analyst turns away Mavericks after interview

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 7/7/23

Recently fired ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy was interviewed by the Dallas Mavericks about a possible assistant-coaching gig but turned away the opportunity.

According to Marc Stein, the Mavericks "gauged (Van Gundy's) interest in a return to coaching" as an assistant to Jason Kidd with a formal interview following the NBA Finals. Per Stein's sources, the longtime broadcaster and former head coach of the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks indicated that he wasn't "prepared at that time to come back to the bench."

Stein reported that discussions between Dallas and Van Gundy took place before he was let go by ESPN on June 30. It was revealed on Tuesday that the Mavericks had filled three assistant-coaching vacancies, including the one Van Gundy was "initially targeted to fill on the bench."

The Mavericks are adding three coaches to Jason Kidd's staff, league sources say: Cavaliers assistant Josh Broghamer (who worked on Kidd's staff in Milwaukee) joins fellow newcomers Alex Jensen (from Utah) and Bryan Gates (from Phoenix). More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 5, 2023

The 61-year-old was among roughly 20 on-air personalities let go by ESPN at the end of June in a reported effort to save "tens of millions of dollars." Van Gundy was with the network since his coaching career with the Rockets concluded after the 2006-07 campaign.

He worked alongside Mark 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.

Stein wrote on Wednesday that "it is not yet known" if Van Gundy would consider a return to coaching with a different team or if he "prefers to seek new television opportunities."

Van Gundy is perhaps best remembered for helping lead the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999 as a No. 8 seed, becoming the only team to accomplish the feat until the Miami Heat's run this year.

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