Jeff Van Gundy’s last few games at ESPN were calling the Nuggets
Jun 30, 2023, 12:07 PM
NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy is out at ESPN, according to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post.
Van Gundy is one of about 20 layoffs of huge names, including the likes of Jalen Rose, Steve Young, Suzy Kolber and Todd McShay.
NEWS: ESPN has let go its top NBA game analyst Jeff Van Gundy, The Post has learned. https://t.co/GBlXcFf8WP
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) June 30, 2023
Van Gundy at time drove Denver Nuggets fans crazy during the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers and the NBA Finals against the Heat. He was often thought to be overly-critical of Denver while appearing to be pulling for Los Angeles or Miami.
To be fair, Van Gundy gave a great interview with 104.3 The Fan’s “Schlereth and Evans” during the playoffs where he heaped praise on Nikola Jokic. Van Gundy’s partner, Mark Jackson, also received a ton of criticism for his analysis from Denver fans and rightfully so. Jackson inexplicably left Jokic off his MVP ballot but later apologized.
Up next to replace Van Gundy with Mike Breen and Jackson could be Doris Burke, JJ Redick, Richard Jefferson or Doc Rivers. Nuggets fans would be thrilled with Redick, as he consistently has intelligent takes about the team. Burke wouldn’t be a bad option, either.
In the meantime, Van Gundy’s last nine games on ESPN / ABC were calling the world champion Denver Nuggets. That’s probably a sentence no expected to read when he started 16 years ago.
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