Will ESPN Firing Lead to Ex Knicks Coach Jeff Van Gundy's Return?

The Dallas Mavericks have an opening to hire former New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy after the former New York Knicks head coach was let go from ESPN.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 5, 2023

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The New York Knicks could see their former leader return to the NBA sidelines as a coach, a scenario that will gain some traction upon his departure from ESPN.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks were interested in hiring former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy to their coaching staff.

"The Mavericks, as I reported they would on June 5, indeed gauged Jeff Van Gundy's interest in a return to coaching as a member of Jason Kidd’s staff with a formal interview after Van Gundy finished his NBA Finals broadcasting duties," Stein wrote.

Van Gundy, 61, was among the many high-profile names ESPN laid off on June 30, giving him an opportunity to explore other jobs either in the broadcast booth or the sidelines. He hasn't been an NBA head coach since 2007, his final year with the Houston Rockets.

However, there have been a few attempts to woo him back to the sideline. Now that he is no longer tied to ESPN, perhaps the NBA could bring him back.

Dallas ultimately decided not to hire Van Gundy, instead opting for Alex Jensen, Bryan Gates, and Josh Broghamer, former assistants in Utah, Phoenix, and Cleveland respectively. But as long as he's out there, it may propel one of the other 29 teams to make the phone call to Van Gundy.

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Published Jul 5, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.