Stan Van Gundy Says ESPN ‘S*** On’ His Brother Jeff During 2023 Layoffs

Stan Van Gundy is not happy about the way ESPN treated his brother Jeff Van Gundy last year.

Jeff spent nearly two decades as an NBA color commentator alongside Mike Breen for The Worldwide Leader before falling victim to the network's mass layoffs in July 2023.

Jeff Van Gundy spent 16 NBA seasons as a color commentator for ESPN.

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Stan, a former ESPN broadcaster who now works for TNT, joined Dan Le Batard’s South Beach Sessions podcast this week and blasted the company for how the whole thing went down. He accused ESPN of dragging its feet and preventing Jeff from landing another job.

"He was hurt by it. I mean he worked for them for 17 years. And it wasn’t even just the fact that they made the move, I mean they sh-t on him," Stan said. "The timing was awful. They waited until, basically, the NBA market in terms of coaching jobs, assistant jobs, front office jobs was already gone by to make the move. And then they delayed and delayed and delayed on a buyout that would free him to work for [other] people.

"I mean after 17 years of being in arguably … the best game broadcast booth in the business in basketball, and being the kind of person he is, ESPN sh-t on him."

Jeff was laid off as part of a round of cost-cutting layoffs by ESPN last summer. But rumors circulated that the NBA itself asked the network to cut Van Gundy given his constant criticism of officiating and league rules. Commissioner Adam Silver denied that the league had anything to do with it.

"This stuff happens in the business, we’ve all been through it," Stan said. "We’ve been fired and everything else, but there’s ways to do it and ways not to do it. … I thought ESPN was absolutely miserable to him after what he had given them for 17 years."

Stan and Jeff Van Gundy

(Getty Images)

Le Batard said Jeff probably wouldn't be so happy about his brother speaking out about his professional life.

"My brother wouldn’t be happy if I was saying this, but it’s what happened and that’s what I’m going to say," Stan said. "And you know what, I don’t think anybody who knows the situation would disagree with me at all."

Jeff is now an adviser for the Boston Celtics.

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