The latest wave of talent layoffs at ESPN have claimed a surprising name: beloved NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy.
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported Friday that Van Gundy, who has been with ESPN since 2007, was among those the company is laying off as part of cost-saving measures. Van Gundy later confirmed he was part of the layoffs to The Athletic. Marchand reported the total number of on-air layoffs expected Friday is around 20 total employees. The move breaks up the longtime NBA Finals broadcast team that also features Mike Breen and Mark Jackson.
Here’s confirmation of the Van Gundy news:
I reached out to Van Gundy after Andrew's newsbreak.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) June 30, 2023
The report is accurate. He's declining comment for now.
Van Gundy had time left on his contract. It's a terrible decision IMO given he's become one of the essential NBA game analysts in history. https://t.co/UaP4ZJWGuT
It also came as a big surprise to NBA fans, who’ve fallen in love with the Breen/Van Gundy/Jackson trio over the years. Fans on social media chimed in with their disappointment and appreciation for Van Gundy’s work on the microphone over the years, in particular his willingness to call out referees after bad calls.
This is heartbreaking.
— Oasis MMAov (@OasisMma) June 30, 2023
Breen with Jackson and Van Gundy was my summer starter for like over a decade. What will we do next =( https://t.co/lWCngpLTJX
I become a smarter basketball fan when I listen to Jeff Van Gundy break down the game. He tells it like it is and provides a unique voice on the broadcast. ESPN is making a big mistake here. https://t.co/dAKklW8Fnc
— Andrew Chelney🍊 (@ChelneyAndrew) June 30, 2023
What?!?!? Huge mistake here. Van Gundy is excellent. Hope TNT snatches him up quickly. https://t.co/xiGW2q1dwr
— Mike Barner (@rotomikebarner) June 30, 2023
WHAT!!! Imagine parting ways w one of the best analysts in sports… 🤦♂️ https://t.co/wrx0XLDhq3
— John Jastremski (@john_jastremski) June 30, 2023
Not a fan of this change. JVG is a curmudgeon on the broadcasts, but a loveable one. And he's one of the best analysts of what's happening in real time that does game broadcasts. This is a bummer. https://t.co/9bRKu46QrM
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 30, 2023
Kind of stunned both as a fan and also just from a business POV, the next TV rights negotiations are going on like...right now? https://t.co/0o6yGUPWpM
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) June 30, 2023
Weak. Bad move by ESPN. Van Gundy called out some of the nonsense and made the games better. TNT should bring him on their studio show with Barkley, Kenny and Ernie. I could do without Shaq https://t.co/0kcNcyYvil
— Mike Catalana (@MikeCatalana) June 30, 2023
The world is cruel. We lose JVG but still have to listen to Reggie Miller https://t.co/mdvcCZwpDT
— Alex Blickle (@AlexBlickle1) June 30, 2023
ESPN is going to realize they made a mistake here. JVG loves ball, no matter how much he leans into the grumpy old man role. https://t.co/XUD7HIaDtk
— Andrew Perna (@Andrew_Perna) June 30, 2023
Some fans are already clamoring for Van Gundy to join TNT’s Inside the NBA set with Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.
NBA on TNT postgame show is already the best studio show ever created, but if they add Van Gundy alongside Chuck & Shaq, that show would fly into the next stratosphere https://t.co/F65ZzsCnYj
— Ryan Hickey (@Ryan_Hickey3) June 30, 2023
This is tremendously stupid. TNT hire this man immediately https://t.co/wAie8eVGIR
— Jeremiah Davis (@jeremiahdavis10) June 30, 2023
This news also means the end of one of the league’s most popular meme formats:
The end of an era. https://t.co/78DYPdIIZY pic.twitter.com/gHXCdUk3gB
— Sam Gillenwater (@samdg_33) June 30, 2023
It’s certainly the end of an era. It’s hard to imagine what marquee games on ESPN will sound like without Van Gundy. Marchand reported JJ Redick, Doris Burke, Richard Jefferson and Doc Rivers as potential replacements.
