Stanley Alan Van Gundy (born August 26, 1959) is an American former

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach who is a television commentator for ''

NBA on TNT The ''NBA on TNT'' is an American presentation of National Basketball Association (NBA) games, produced by TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports and later Warner Bros. Discovery Sports). In the United States, the TNT cable network held ...

'' and '' College Basketball on CBS''. Prior to TNT, he was most recently the head coach for the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

of the NBA. He also served as the head coach and president of basketball operations for the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

from 2014 to 2018. From 2003 to 2005, he was the head coach of the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

but resigned in 2005 mid-season, returning the job over to

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

. Van Gundy then coached the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

for five seasons from 2007 to 2012, leading them to the

2009 NBA Finals The 2009 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2008–09 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. A best-of-seven playoff series starting on June 4 and concluding on June 14, 2009, ...

. He is the older brother of former

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

and

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

head coach Jeff Van Gundy.

Playing career

Van Gundy was a starting guard at Alhambra High School in

Martinez, California Martinez (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Martínez'') is a city in and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Located on the southern shore of the Carquinez Strai ...

in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. After his senior year, he played for an all-county team that also included Kenny Carter, whose coaching career was the basis for '' Coach Carter'', a Hollywood feature film starring Samuel L. Jackson. Van Gundy played college basketball for his father, Bill Van Gundy, at SUNY-Brockport, a Division III school, until he graduated in 1981 with a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Physical Education.

Coaching career

College

Van Gundy began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

, 1981–83, and was head coach at Castleton State College in Vermont for three seasons from 1983 to 1986. After his first season as Castleton head coach, the NAIA named Van Gundy the District 5 Coach of the Year. Castleton finished 1984–85 the top team in the NAIA's Mayflower Conference and won the NAIA District 5 tournament. After serving as an assistant coach at

Canisius College Canisius University is a private Jesuit university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 ma ...

in 1987 and

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

in 1988, Van Gundy was named head coach at the University of Lowell. During his four-season tenure at the school, which saw the institution become the

University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a Public university, public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of M ...

, he compiled a record of 54–60 and coached Leo Parent, whom Van Gundy called "the best Division 2 player in the nation." Van Gundy then became an assistant at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

under Stu Jackson. When Jackson left after 2 years to become general manager of the expansion NBA Vancouver franchise, Van Gundy was promoted to replace him as head coach and given a 5-year contract. Coming off an 18–11 season with future NBA star

Michael Finley Michael Howard Finley (born March 6, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who is the assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He ...

back for his senior year and highly touted recruits coming in, the team went into the season with high expectations, but ended with a disappointing 13–14 record (7–11 and ninth place in the Big 10). Van Gundy was fired at the end of the season and given a buyout for the 4 years remaining on his contract. Van Gundy blamed financial concerns at the school for his firing. The team would go on to hire Dick Bennett from the

University of Wisconsin–Green Bay The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UW–Green Bay, UWGB, or Green Bay) is a public university in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1965, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System. As of fall 2024, student enrollment h ...

and he finished his first year with a 17–15 record and NIT appearance despite losing Finley and other key players. Overall, Van Gundy compiled a record of 135–92 () in eight years as a college head coach.

Miami Heat

When

left the

to coach the

, the Knicks refused to let him hire Jeff Van Gundy, perhaps his most valuable assistant. Riley hired Stan, his brother, saying "I wanted at least one Van Gundy with me". Stan Van Gundy spent 12 years with the Heat. After working as an assistant under Riley, Van Gundy was named head coach when Riley abruptly resigned as coach prior to the 2003–04 season. However, Riley remained as President of the team. Van Gundy took over a team that had won 25 games the previous season. He led them to a 42-win season, in which they won a very high percentage of their late season games and surprised many by advancing to the second round of the 2004 NBA playoffs, nearly defeating the team with the league's best record, the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, with Van Gundy's dynamic coaching showcasing the strong play of rookie

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. ( or , born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently the co-owner of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. He is also currently the host of the American a ...

. During the off-season,

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

demanded a trade and made Miami the only viable option for the Lakers to make a transaction with. Riley gave up Caron Butler,

Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won NBA Finals, championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named ...

Brian Grant Brian Wade Grant (born March 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward (basketball), power forward and Center (basketball), center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the National Basket ...

and a future first-round

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

choice, replacing three of the team's starters, including an Olympian, with O'Neal. Van Gundy led the Heat to the best record in the Eastern Conference in the first half of the season, becoming the first Heat coach to coach in the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

, where he led the East to a victory. The Heat finished the season with 59 wins, earning the best record in the conference. The Heat went on to advance to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, where they lost to the

. Injuries played a factor in their defeat, particularly a rib injury to leading scorer Wade during Game 5, which prevented him from playing Game 6 and severely hindered him in Game 7, both Piston wins. During the 2005 off-season, it was widely speculated that Pat Riley was attempting to run Van Gundy out of his coaching job and take over the job himself, now that the team was in a position to contend for the championship. Van Gundy would resign from his position as head coach on December 12, 2005, just 21 games into the season, citing a need to spend more time with his family. Riley replaced him as head coach, and led Miami to their first championship that same season. In

's book, "Shaq Uncut: My Story", O'Neal responded to allegations of being a "coach killer" and that he forced Van Gundy out of Miami by stating: "Stan got fired because Pat (Riley) wanted to take over, not because I wanted him out. I had no control over it — not a smidgen of control. We all kind of knew it was coming because Pat and Stan were always arguing. Pat would come down and tell Stan how to do something and Stan would want to do it his own way, and that was a fine game plan if you wanted to get yourself fired." Though at the time of his resignation Van Gundy asserted he was not being forced out by Riley, he has more recently declined comment on the situation after he accepted a coaching job with the Orlando Magic less than two years later. Riley himself would resign from his coaching duties two years later, following a 15–67 season from the Heat.

Orlando Magic

In May 2007, Van Gundy received an offer to replace the fired

Rick Carlisle Richard Preston Carlisle ( ; born October 27, 1959) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously served as head coach of the Detroi ...

as head coach of the

. Van Gundy turned down the offer, but began interviewing for other head coaching jobs. He was considered a lead candidate to become head coach of the

and also the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. However, the Magic hired Billy Donovan. Shortly thereafter, Donovan decided he wanted to back out of the deal and return to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

. Finally on June 5, 2007, the Magic released Donovan and offered another contract to Van Gundy. ESPN SportsCenter reported that the

allowed Van Gundy to coach the Magic in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2007 and the right to swap first-round picks in 2008 or another 2008 second-round draft pick and cash. Stan Van Gundy sideline

In Van Gundy's first season with the Magic, he guided them to a 52-win season, earning the team's first division championship since the 1995–96 season, and the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. Orlando defeated the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

4–1 in the first round of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, advancing to the Eastern Semifinals for the first time in twelve seasons. They were later defeated in the Eastern Semifinals by the Detroit Pistons 4–1. Van Gundy and the Magic won 59 games in 2008–09, the second most in franchise history, along with a second consecutive division championship finished at third place behind

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

and

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

. During playoffs, they defeated the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

from a deficit of 2–1, before squalling with Boston Celtics in seven games. Later, they defeated 66–16 Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals in six games to advance to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

, Orlando's first Finals appearance since 1995. After suffering a blowout loss in game 1 against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, the Magic put up a better effort in game 2, but were defeated in overtime. In game 3, the Magic shot 63% for the game, a Finals record, en route to their first win in a Finals game in franchise history. They went on to lose the next two games, a controversial decision for allowing the four-month injury absence all-star,

Jameer Nelson Jameer Lamar Nelson Sr. (born February 9, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as general manager for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Hawks men's ba ...

to play in heavy minutes and decided not fouling the opposite team in less than 30 second in game 4, that ultimately cost them the title as the Lakers won the series in five. Also during the 2008–09 season, a feud developed between Van Gundy and the then

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

' center, and former Magic/Heat player,

(the two were together when O'Neal played for the Heat and Van Gundy was his coach). After a game between the Suns and Magic, Van Gundy said O'Neal was flopping throughout the night. O'Neal fired back by calling Van Gundy "a master of panic," because Van Gundy was not successful in the playoffs per O'Neal. On January 31, 2010, Van Gundy was named the coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, making it the second time he had been given the honor to coach an all-star team. He led the Eastern Conference to victory for the second time. On May 21, 2012, Van Gundy was relieved of his duties as head coach. Prior to the firing, Van Gundy had stated that he had knowledge that Dwight Howard wanted him fired. Van Gundy stated that a person within management had told him this, and that the team did not want to risk angering Howard (Howard had an opt-out clause in his contract). Howard still requested a trade after the season, and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in August 2012.

Detroit Pistons

On May 14, 2014, Van Gundy was hired as the new head coach and president of basketball operations of the

, replacing interim head coach John Loyer. On February 9, 2015, Van Gundy became the 43rd coach in NBA history to win 400 games when the Pistons defeated the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

105–95. He clinched a berth in the 2016 playoffs. On May 7, 2018, the Pistons announced that Van Gundy was released from his duties as head coach and president of basketball operations.

New Orleans Pelicans

On October 22, 2020, Van Gundy was hired as the new head coach of the

, replacing Alvin Gentry. Van Gundy and the Pelicans parted ways on June 16, 2021.

Broadcasting career

Van Gundy became a broadcaster in September 2018, working with ESPN as an analyst for NBA games. Van Gundy left ESPN in 2019 to work for TNT Sports on NBA games. He would leave TNT after one season to become the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans but would return to TNT one year later after he parted ways with the Pelicans. Since 2023, Van Gundy has also called NCAA March Madness games for TNT.

Personal life

Van Gundy was born in

Indio, California Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. Indio is approximately east of Los Angeles, east of Palm Springs, ...

. He grew up as a son of a basketball coach, Bill Van Gundy, the former head coach at Brockport State University in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

. His younger brother Jeff Van Gundy has coached two teams in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

as well. After Jeff became a member of the '' NBA on ABC's'' broadcast team, he was an analyst during the

while Stan coached the

. Van Gundy has four children with his late wife Kim, who died unexpectedly in August 2023. They were married for 25 years. He revealed on a podcast that Kim died by suicide. Van Gundy is also teaching a sports business course at Stetson University. Van Gundy is a frequent critic of President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

and endorsed

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

in the

2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...

Head coaching record

College

NBA

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Gundy, Steve 1959 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American people of Dutch descent Basketball coaches from California Basketball players from Riverside County, California Brockport Golden Eagles men's basketball players Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball coaches Castleton Spartans men's basketball coaches College basketball announcers in the United States Detroit Pistons executives Detroit Pistons head coaches Fordham Rams men's basketball coaches Miami Heat assistant coaches Miami Heat head coaches NBA broadcasters New Orleans Pelicans head coaches Orlando Magic head coaches People from Indio, California Alhambra High School (Alhambra, California) alumni St. Thomas University (Florida) alumni UMass Lowell River Hawks men's basketball coaches Vermont Catamounts men's basketball coaches Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball coaches State University of New York at Brockport alumni 20th-century American sportsmen