Jeff Van Gundy had opinions because of course he had opinions. This was late last month, on the eve of the NBA Finals, and when I chatted with Van Gundy for an enjoyable catch-up conversation, a number of things came up. One that got a lot of attention was Van Gundy saying he’d eliminate free throws until the final four minutes as a way to speed up NBA games given Major League Baseball’s success with its new time-saving rules. He declared he would also eliminate halftime.
“I think halftime is the biggest waste of time,” Van Gundy said, laughing. “Or I’d reduce it to five minutes so you could go to the bathroom and come back out.”
When the topic came up that the Heat-Nuggets series would be his 17th NBA Finals as an analyst, the most NBA Finals called for any television analyst in history, he got introspective.
“It catches up to you really quick,” Van Gundy said. “What started out as sort of a waystation because of some family things and kids and all that between coaching stops, now it’s turned into this secondary profession. Sometimes you have to just be eternally grateful for the opportunity. (Play-by-play voice) Mike Breen and (co-commentator) Mark Jackson took me in long ago, and I’ve had the same boss in (vice president of production) Tim Corrigan the whole time. You’re surrounded by friends, and you get to do the games with people who are great at their jobs. But for me, that didn’t really matter as much as I just needed a job and I needed it to be where I had flexibility. You also know it’s hard in this profession to keep a job. Change happens all the time in every sport. You have to be grateful for what you have at that moment because it can change at any time. At some point, it will change for me. So I’m just incredibly grateful for this opportunity.”
The change came far before he expected. On Friday morning, Van Gundy was informed by ESPN management that he was being let go despite still having time on his contract. He confirmed the news to The Athletic; the New York Post was first with the report. He did not see it coming, nor did the millions of basketball viewers who have watched him over the years.
Van Gundy is part of a round of layoffs that will include well-known names across ESPN, including its NFL staff. You’ve already seen the news of beloved anchor Neil Everett and NHL analyst Chris Chelios. NBA analyst Jalen Rose is also part of the layoffs, The Athletic confirmed. Suzy Kolber announced she too was part of it. More names will come out, around 20 front-facing talent names in total, including from the NFL group.
“Given the current environment, ESPN has determined it necessary to identify some additional cost savings in the area of public-facing commentator salaries, and that process has begun,” the company said in a statement. “This exercise will include a small group of job cuts in the short term and an ongoing focus on managing costs when we negotiate individual contract renewals in the months ahead. This is an extremely challenging process, involving individuals who have had tremendous impact on our company. These difficult decisions, based more on overall efficiency than merit, will help us meet our financial targets and ensure future growth.”
Disney has put immense pressure on ESPN to cut costs, and the thought from management is that cutting high-profile salaries via layoffs or not re-signing talent (which is going to happen over the next six months) will save many jobs behind the scenes.
You can understand that logic, but someone made a decision on Van Gundy, and it was a terrible one. I’ll spell out why I think that is.
ESPN’s NBA game broadcast production has long been considered one of the company’s strongest units. The production is sound, and even if you don’t like Jackson or Van Gundy — I’m not sure how anyone could criticize Breen — you have to respect how they functionally produce a game. It feels big. Where Turner Sports always could boast about “Inside The NBA” over the various editions of ESPN’s pre- and postgame show, ESPN could boast about its NBA game production, and a major part of that was Van Gundy, who combined a brilliant view of the game with genuine humor and showmanship. He has his old saws, such as banging on the refs, but he educated people on the game, as Hubie Brown did in his prime.
The likely replacement will come from a group of Doris Burke, JJ Redick or a recently fired coach such as Doc Rivers. All of them are talented broadcasters, and it would be great to see Burke continue to make history as a pioneering NBA voice. But this decision is brutal.
If you are a Van Gundy fan, I will provide good news: The current media rights deal with ESPN and (Warner Bros. Discovery) is up at the end of the 2024-25 season, and Van Gundy’s contract was timed to the signing of that new deal. The NBA almost assuredly is going to bring a new media partner into its orbit regardless of what happens with incumbents ESPN and WBD.
The calculus for that media company changed today: The best NBA television analyst is now a free agent. Go get him when the time comes.
GO DEEPER
Jeff Van Gundy’s big idea to shorten games and more ahead of his 17th NBA Finals
(Photo: Greg Nelson / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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