Jeff Van Gundy To Serve As Clippers Lead Assistant Coach Next Season
Jeff Van Gundy is set to make his NBA coaching return next season, having reportedly agreed to become the top assistant to Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. The 62-year-old Van Gundy spent this past season as a senior consultant for the Boston Celtics, who secured their 18th NBA title by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the Finals on Monday.
Before his stint with the Celtics, Van Gundy was a television analyst for ESPN for 16 years. His coaching career includes leading the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets. Van Gundy took over the Knicks in March 1996 and resigned 19 games into the 2001-02 season. During his tenure, New York reached the NBA Finals in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 campaign.
In June 2003, Houston hired Van Gundy, but he was dismissed after a first-round playoff exit in 2007. Van Gundy holds a career coaching record of 430-318 in the regular season and 44-44 in the playoffs.
The Clippers finished this season with a 51-31 record, winning the Pacific Division title for the first time since the 2013-14 season. However, they were eliminated by the Mavericks in six games during the first round of the playoffs. Los Angeles recently signed Lue, who led the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title in 2016, to a five-year, $70 million extension last month.
Van Gundy's return to coaching is expected to bring valuable experience to Lue's staff as they aim to build on their recent successes. The Clippers' management hopes that this addition will help them advance further in future playoff campaigns.
For more details on this development, you can refer to Adrian Wojnarowski's tweet:
ESPN Sources: Jeff Van Gundy who spent the season as senior consultant for the NBA champion Boston Celtics has agreed on a deal to become the lead assistant on Ty Lues Los Angeles Clippers coaching staff. https://t.co/cUPKmRxuzh
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 18, 2024
Van Gundy's extensive background in both coaching and analysis is anticipated to be an asset for the Clippers as they prepare for next season. His experience with teams like the Knicks and Rockets, combined with his recent role with the Celtics, positions him well to contribute significantly to Lue's coaching team.
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