Rockets Ex Jeff Van Gundy Fired by ESPN; What's Next?

Jeff Van Gundy went to ESPN after coaching the Houston Rockets from 2003-07. Will he return to coaching?

A former coach of the Houston Rockets is in need of a new job.

The latest round of ESPN layoffs includes former Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy, whose departure was reported by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

Van Gundy, 61, coached the Rockets from 2003-07 after being with the New York Knicks from 1989-96 as an assistant and as the head coach until 2001.

Van Gundy had been part of ESPN/ABC's premier broadcast pairing with current Mike Breen and Mark Jackson since 2007. Alongside Breen (with Jackson taking several years off to coach the Golden State Warriors), Van Gundy called some of the biggest NBA games over the past decade-plus and had been a part of every edition of NBA Finals coverage in that span.

He'd fall just short of joining Breen in the rare air of calling at least 100 games in the Finals, as he was a 96 after the five-game set between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat earlier this month.

Van Gundy had been rumored to make the jump from the broadcast booth to the NBA a few times during his tenure at ESPN, but never left to return to coaching. Now, the question remains whether he will finally head back to the league or if he'll be picked up by another network.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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