Clippers officially hire Jeff Van Gundy as lead assistant
The 62-year-old last coached in the NBA in 2007.
A coach’s mind never stops.
For Jeff Van Gundy, it led him to the LA Clippers after a year acting as a consultant for the newly minted world champion Boston Celtics. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and later officially announced by the Clippers.
Van Gundy spent 16 years as an announcer for ESPN before moving to the Celtics last offseason. Prior to his stint on television, Van Gundy was a head coach for the Houston Rockets (2003-07) and New York Knicks (1992-2002). Current Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was on the 2004-05 Rockets under Van Gundy’s stewardship. The pair also recently spent time together on USA Basketball’s staff.
The 62-year-old brings 748 games of NBA head coaching experience to the fold for a Clippers staff that lost lead assistant Dan Craig to the Chicago Bulls this offseason. Van Gundy will assume the lead assistant title, per Wojnarowski.
While he worked on television on ESPN, Van Gundy spent time in USA Basketball as a coach, advisor, and scout.
The Hemet, Calif. native coached the United States national team during the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup tournament and the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. The time with Team USA was the only true coaching stint Van Gundy had following his exit from Houston following a 2007 Game 7 first-round loss.
With the departure of Craig, who ran the Clippers’ defense during his four years with the franchise, there was a gaping hole that needed filling on the staff, and it’s one that Van Gundy more than fills with his more than 20 years of coaching experience both as an assistant and head coach in the NBA and for Team USA.
“Van Gundy is considered one of the finest minds in basketball and had been pursued for years to return to coaching on a full-time basis,” wrote Wojnarowski. “His relationship with Lue and the franchise’s fondness for Van Gundy played major parts in the Clippers’ ability to land him, sources said.”
In 2020, when the Clippers’ coaching job came open following the dismissal of Doc Rivers, Van Gundy was one of the coaching options reportedly considered by the Clippers before the hiring of Lue.
The Clippers and Lue agreed on a new five-year deal earlier this offseason, paving the way for continuity on the coaching staff as the team attempts to navigate an offseason that could see star wing Paul George depart in free agency.
Van Gundy’s mind stayed fresh while away from the sideline, and now the Clippers hope to be the beneficiaries of some new ideas with him in the fold.
This developing story will be updated with more details as they become available.
