Fired ESPN commentator Jeff Van Gundy once used LeBron James' 2011 Finals meltdown to defend Khloe Kardashian from Tristan Thompson memes

ESPN laid off multiple TV personalities for the past days including fan-favorite Jeff Van Gundy. As the news broke out, many basketball aficionados took a trip down memory lane and remembered one of the best moments of the coach-turned-sportscaster figure.

During Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers were on the brink of elimination against the Kevin Durant-led Golden State Warriors. Jeff Van Gundy was on the panel along with Mark Jackson and Mike Breen as he made a comment about the speculation circulating that Tristan Thompson's terrible post-season performance was because of his relationship with celebrity Khloe Kardashian.

“I’ve noticed a lot in this series the debate about why Tristan Thompson has not played well. And he hasn’t played well. But the debate about whether his significant other, Khloe Kardashian, and the Kardashian curse, is the reason, to me, is downright low-rent," Van Gundy expressed.

The discussion happened at the 7:54 mark in the first quarter as the TV camera pans to Thompson while teammate Kevin Love was shooting free throws.

"My thing is this when LeBron James struggled in 2011 in those Finals, did we say it was his significant other that caused him to not succeed, or last year with Steph Curry, was it Steph Curry’s wife, when he didn’t play up to standard? No, this Kardashian shaming is because she’s an easy target. And I don’t know her or her family, but I do know this: She deserves an apology for anybody who participated in that type of debate."

The Cavaliers got swept that night after the final buzzer but more than the result of the NBA Finals was a memory of Jeff Van Gundy proving a very good point for fans to remember.

WATCH: Jeff Van Gundy Defends Tristan Thompson and Khloe Kardashian

Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson's tandem will surely be missed

Van Gundy joins 20 other ESPN commentators that were laid off as the network was looking to cut costs. The 61-year-old sportscaster was known for going back and forth with fellow analyst Mark Jackson along with Mike Breen serving as the game's play-by-play commentator.

There is no clue yet what will Van Gundy do after this sudden lay off whether going to another network or getting back to coaching. Nothing is forever and his tandem with Mark Jackson will go down in broadcast history as one of the best.