Is Jeff Van Gundy on Celtics coaching staff? Exploring former ESPN employee’s career after abrupt end to broadcasting stint

After several years as an ESPN analyst and commentator, Jeff Van Gundy was let go by the major sports network as part of a series of layoffs made during the summer. Jeff Van Gundy wasn't the only top name that was let go, as fellow coach and broadcaster Mark Jackson was let go.

Jackson and Van Gundy were doing commentary alongside play-by-play broadcaster Mike Breen on ESPN NBA games, however, former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and ESPN analyst and reporter Doris Burke replaced them.

It seems, though, that Jeff Van Gundy, didn't stay unemployed for long. During the summer, the veteran coach reportedly had discussions with the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks to join their respective coaching staffs.

Things didn't go as planned at the time, but it looks like the situation has changed. According to Basketball on X, the former coach of the New York Knicks has returned to the NBA, this time with the Celtics.

More specifically, the Celtics' website places Van Gundy on the coaching staff list as a senior consultant. The franchise has yet to officially announce his hiring, but Celtics Insider Brian Robb of MassLive has also confirmed the news.

Aside from Jeff Van Gundy, Charles Lee and Sam Cassell are also two notable coaches who joined Boston's coaching staff this offseason.

Jeff Van Gundy returns to an NBA team for the first time in 16 years

It has been a long time since Jeff Van Gundy was a member of an NBA franchise. More specifically, the last time the former coach was part of a team was back in 2007.

Since then, he became part of ESPN and appeared in 16 NBA Finals as a broadcaster and commentator. Now, he gets the opportunity to return to the league, even in a consultant role.

Van Gundy started his NBA career as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks (1989-1996). After that, he became a head coach in the NBA for 11 seasons with stints in the Knicks (1996-2001) and the Houston Rockets (2003-2007).

He was also in charge of the Knicks team that lost to the San Antonio Spurs back in the 1999 NBA Finals. Van Gundy coached the East in the 2000 NBA All-Star game, while he has never won a championship in his career.

On an international level, he was the coach of Team USA in the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup and an assistant coach in the American teams that competed in the 2019 FIBA World Cup and 2021 Olympic Games.

The Boston Celtics will kick off their regular-season campaign with a road game vs the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, October 25.