After spending the 2023-24 season as a “special consultant” with the Boston Celtics, Jeff Van Gundy has accepted a new role. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Van Gundy is set to join the Los Angeles Clippers as an assistant next year under head coach Ty Lue.
News broke of his new deal with LA just a few hours after Van Gundy and the Celtics won the 2024 NBA title. Wojnarowski reported the 62-year-old Van Gundy has had a relationship with Lue for some time, thanks to years working together as members of USA Basketball and with the Houston Rockets in 2004. Likewise, Wojnarowski said Van Gundy has considered returning to coaching full-time for years. There was some speculation he would consider taking a coaching position with Boston, but instead Van Gundy is headed to the West Coast.
Van Gundy won’t just help L.A. try to get over the hump in the playoffs, but will be there as the Clippers open a new era for the franchise.
Van Gundy first joined the Celtics in October 2023 as a special consultant as part of the operations staff. He quickly became a mainstay on the sidelines in Boston, and helped bring some veteran leadership to a young Celtics front office and coaching staff.
Van Gundy has over a decade of coaching experience in the NBA. He served as the head coach for the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets in the 1990s and early 2000s. In that time, he built a reputation as a reliable leader, helping the Knicks reach the 1999 NBA Finals.
Van Gundy’s career switched to broadcasting for years. He joined ESPN as a guest commentator in 2007, and ended up becoming a mainstay for the network’s NBA coverage. Van Gundy called fifteen consecutive NBA Finals before leaving ESPN in 2023.
He found a home in Boston shortly thereafter. He recently spoke about how important that move was as he dealt with major transitions in his professional and personal life.
“Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla threw me a lifeline,” Van Gundy said. “Everybody on that coaching staff has welcomed me with open arms.”
Now Van Gundy is off to Los Angeles. The Clippers have been a mainstay in the Western Conference playoff picture for years, but health has been a major concern. He joins the club at a crucial crossroads.
The Clippers will unveil the Intuit Dome this summer, a $2 billion stadium in Inglewood. This will mark a new chapter for the franchise, and should be very exciting for the team and its fans.
At the same time, LA’s roster could look very different in a few weeks. All-Star Paul George is considering his options in free agency, and could look to join the Philadelphia 76ers.
Regardless, it’s a big change for Van Gundy, who walks away from Boston an NBA champion.
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