Celtics reportedly mentioned assistant coach place with Jeff Van Gundy

Celtics

The Celtics have already added a pair of notable assistant coaches this offseason.

Jeff Van Gundy reportedly mentioned a training function with the Celtics. (Jim Davis/Globe Workers)

The Celtics bolstered Joe Mazzulla’s teaching employees nearly instantly after their season resulted in Could. It seems they nearly added one other notable identify to the employees, too.

Jeff Van Gundy mentioned becoming a member of the Celtics in some capability as he’s exploring a return to teaching and has spoken with a number of groups about changing into an assistant coach, Sports activities Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported.

Most NBA followers possible know Van Gundy, 61, from his function at ESPN, the place he labored on the community’s high broadcasting crew and introduced 16 NBA Finals. Nevertheless, he was amongst a number of notable on-air staffers that have been let go by the World Extensive Chief as a part of a spherical of layoffs to chop prices.

Previous to his near-two-decade tenure as an announcer, Van Gundy loved an achieved teaching profession. He labored as an assistant for the Knicks for seven seasons earlier than changing into their head coach in 1996. The Knicks saved their spot as a title contender with Van Gundy on the helm, even reaching the NBA Finals in 1999 however fell brief to the San Antonio Spurs. New York went 248-172 throughout Van Gundy’s time there earlier than he resigned throughout the 2001-02 season.

Van Gundy continued to seek out success in his subsequent teaching cease with the Houston Rockets. He coached there for 4 seasons, serving to them attain the playoffs in three of them.

Van Gundy has a 430-318 (.575) document in his 11 seasons as an NBA head coach.

Whereas Van Gundy stepped away from the NBA teaching ranks for the final 16 seasons, he remained within the teaching sport in latest seasons. He was the pinnacle coach of the US males’s nationwide basketball staff on the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup Match and for the qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Van Gundy additionally served as an assistant for the nationwide staff within the 2019 FIBA World Cup and the 2020 Summer time Olympics, working with Jayson Tatum in each tournaments and Jaylen Brown within the former.

Along with talking with the Celtics, Van Gundy has additionally spoken with the Mavericks and Wizards about doable a training function, Mannix reported.

Boston has already added a pair of notable names to its teaching employees this offseason. It employed former Celtics level guard and 76ers assistant Sam Cassell, who has been a head coach candidate in latest seasons. It additionally employed former Bucks lead assistant Charles Lee for a similar function.