Jeff Van Gundy has never shied away from making a risky decision if he believes it is the right one. As a freshman at Yale who was cut from the basketball team, he was at a crossroads early in his life. The safe route involved staying at the prestigious university to finish his studies. The bumpy route was to transfer and play somewhere else.
Van Gundy was a 5-foot-9, 130 pound, pass-first point guard. He wasn’t the most physical or athletic guy on the court, but he was a good player whose teams usually won because of his uncanny knack for making the right decisions with the ball.
Van Gundy knew that playing professionally was probably not in the cards. Coaching might be if he stayed near the game. It was an easy read for him. He transferred to Menlo Junior College the following year.
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To any other family in the world, Van Gundy would be considered a lunatic. But basketball is in his blood. Jeff’s father Bill was a high school and college coach. His older brother Stan was a college player who would go on to coach in the NBA. The move made sense to them even back then.
"We all knew that from the outside, people were gonna look like that’s a little crazy," Stan told Sporting News. "I don’t know how many people transfer from Yale to a JUCO. Not the usual move. But Jeff knew what he wanted to pursue. He knew that he wanted to play, and by then he knew that he wanted to coach. He knew that basketball was going to be what he wanted to do. It was a great opportunity."
Van Gundy was sure at age 18 that he wanted to be a coach. Now 63, he’s rediscovered why he made that decision. After 17 years away from an NBA bench, he quietly returned to his origins, agreeing to a job as one of Ty Lue’s lead assistants for the Clippers this past summer. This time, the risk was attempting to coach a new generation of players in an evolved version of the game he left in 2007.
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- All-NBA
- Player of the Year
- Coach of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
- Defensive Player of the Year
Jeff Van Gundy bounces back from ESPN layoff
Van Gundy was available because of a layoff from ESPN in 2023 that led him to a dark place and another crossroads.
"Whether you have money coming to you or not, I think that sting and that lack of everyday purpose…When someone says, 'We’re better off without you than with you,' there’s no doubt you take a hit," Van Gundy told The Ringer’s Zach Lowe in the aftermath of the network's decision.
Jeff received two more jolts of tragic news that summer. Stan’s wife committed suicide. Shortly thereafter, Jeff’s best friend in Houston was diagnosed with cancer and passed away.
"I was really in an awkward place in life, not really knowing where I was going or what my purpose was," Van Gundy shared with his former broadcasting partner Mark Jackson during an appearance on Jackson's podcast last summer.
Then came an opportunity with the Celtics. General manager Brad Stevens offered Van Gundy a consultant position during their championship run. To Van Gundy, it was a lifeline. It reinvigorated him and led to an offer this summer to join Lue.
Lue put Van Gundy in charge of the Clippers defense, which was ranked No. 16 the previous season. They were largely expected to take a step back after losing four-time All-Defensive player Paul George and entering the year with Kawhi Leonard’s health status unknown. Instead, they’ve skyrocketed to a No. 3 ranking. That stifling defense helped them finish tied for the third-highest win total in the Western Conference.
Van Gundy’s comeback has been one of the most underdiscussed storylines of the season. That has been intentional. For 17 years on ESPN, he talked about anything and everything. Now, he refuses to talk about himself.
Clippers rave about Jeff Van Gundy's drive, defense
Van Gundy has turned down interview requests all year, including one from Sporting News. He wants the recognition to go to his players and Lue. Ask them though, and they are more than happy to give him his flowers.
"He’s the one to credit for our success defensively," Clippers forward Kobe Brown told Sporting News.
"He’s done a lot for our defense in making guys buy in and be a good defensive team, even though often some of our personnel don’t say we should be," Lue told me with a laugh. "But he’s done a great job of making us believe that."
Van Gundy has done more than inject belief into his players. He’s also given them the freedom to take the same kind of smart risks that have defined his life.
"He loves us being aggressive, attacking the ball," Clippers guard Kris Dunn told SN. "We’re not playing back on our heels. We’re being the aggressor and trying to dictate the game."
Where other coaches take more conservative approaches to defense, Van Gundy opts for a different strategy. One example is how the Clippers defend corner 3-point attempts.
"Everyone tells your team to stay home in the corners. Don’t leave the corners," Lue explained. "But if guys are close, you can stunt and go for the steal. Be aggressive, attack the ball. He made us a tougher team, a steal-minded team so that we can get out there in transition and get easy baskets."
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It’s one thing to have a great gameplan. Most coaches do. It’s a completely different skill to get players to buy into it and execute it. Van Gundy has succeeded due to the same elite communication skills that made him a great broadcaster.
"His attention to detail and delivery of messages is super clean, super clear," veteran Clippers guard Patty Mills told SN. "You’re given the answers to the test, and you just gotta get it done. Clear messaging and how precise and passionate he is about delivering that message is really elite. I don’t think I’ve ever met a coach like him that’s so intense in how he’s delivering stuff. I’ve enjoyed every part of JVG."
Van Gundy’s emphasis on communication has spread throughout the roster. The Clippers had a quiet defense last year. He’s gotten them talking, and it’s been by following his example as he roams the sideline.
"He’s super loud," Brown shared.
"He’s improved our communication a lot," added Dunn. “That’s his biggest thing. That’s the only way it’s going to work. You have to make sure everybody’s in tandem, in the right place at the right time."
Van Gundy has always had a way with words ever since growing up in Martinez, California. He's described the town colorfully on broadcasts, noting that the roads there are paved in brick "to cover up the blood."
"It certainly was not to cover up the blood," Stan clarified. "That’s beyond an exaggeration."
Van Gundy will find creative ways though to get his messages across.
"He’s an outstanding teacher," Stan said. "He’s always looking for better ways to teach techniques, better use of language."
Jeff has honed that natural ability through studying the greats. He’s spent time over the years coaching USA basketball, allowing him to pick the brains of Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, Mark Few, Lue, and other elite coaches.
"He never thinks he’s got the answers, that he’s smarter than everyone else," Stan said. "He’s looking to other people to learn from and get better ideas. He’s a life-long learner."
Those lessons have come as Jeff has gone full circle in his career. He was just 27 when he broke in as an assistant for the Knicks, younger than many of the players on the roster. When he was promoted to lead the Knicks at 35, he was the youngest head coach in the league. He lasted 11 years with New York and Houston and made the playoffs nine times. Now, he’s returning as an assistant and elder statesmen.
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Jeff Van Gundy adapts to modern NBA game
If Van Gundy were to get another chance at a lead job, the once-junior coach would be the fifth-oldest one in the league. There had been worries that after such a long layoff, he would be too old to relate to the players or out of touch with the changes in the game. He’s proven that wrong in his work this year and is expected to be in the mix with some head jobs that have opened this spring.
Brown is in his second year in the league. He called Van Gundy “definitely one of my favorite coaches” despite the 38-year age gap between the two.
"As far as basketball, he's relatable for sure," Brown said. "He’s well-versed into the new age of basketball. He understands the game. He gets the best out of everybody, but he also has a sense of humor. He balances the two. It makes you want to play hard for him."
Stan, who has coached in the league as recently as the 2021 season, still talks to his brother regularly about the game. He has no doubt that his brother has kept up.
"He’s never satisfied with where he is at the time," Stan said. "That’s why he’s evolved with the game."
| Efficiency | Steals | Def. rebounding | |
| 2023-24 | 16th | 7th | 24th |
| 2024-25 | 3rd | 3rd | 1st |
Charlotte's Charles Lee is the fourth-youngest head coach in the league. He worked with Van Gundy in Boston last season on a staff where Sam Cassell was the only member over 40. Lee described Van Gundy as "a phenomenal human being and phenomenal coach."
"To have that kind of work ethic after you’ve been in the league for that long, and he comes in ever day curious and ready to go. I was inspired," Lee told SN. "It gave me energy watching what he was doing."
Van Gundy's glowing personality is echoed by everyone who has been around him. More than the communication, teaching skills, or tactical acumen, it’s his ability to connect and be there for people that stands out.
"He’s brilliant," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told SN, flashing a rare smile during his Knicks media availability when asked about his friend. Thibodeau coached under Van Gundy with the Knicks and Rockets. "He’s a great human being."
"There’s not a better, more caring person on the face of the Earth," Stan said before sharing an example.
"Listen. My wife died two years ago. He was in Abu Dhabi. When I talked to him, he immediately got in the car, went to the airport. It takes all day to get here. Literally a full day of flying to get to Florida. To be here for me and my family for a week, he didn’t hesitate. He dropped everything, and boom.
"It’s never about him. That comes across in his coaching and as a person."
Van Gundy has tried to make the Clippers’ success about the team. They’ve taken a page out of his book, though. When it comes to asking about the coach, they are vocal, and they are loud.
"He’s been good for us," Lue said. "And we’ve been good for him as well."