Van Gundy Brothers

    Jeff Van Gundy, the lead game analyst for ESPN’s and ABC’s coverage of the NBA,  implies that his brother Stan’s deal to join was blocked. In interview with USA today sports, Jeff Van Gundy said that his brother, who was fired in May after five seasons as coach for the Orlando Magic. “There’s certainly circumstantial evidence that something from the outside — presumably the NBA — changed (ESPN’s) thinking,” Jeff Van Gundy told USA Today. “As a broadcaster of the NBA, it gives you pause. How forthcoming can you be? You don’t want your honesty to cost you a chance at employment.”

Stan Van Gundy has expressed some opinions very strongly in the past, but sometimes clashing with the league. When then the Magic’s old center Dwight Howard earned a suspension in 2011. “This is the system David Stern and his minions like. So that’s the system you have. … I certainly can’t have an opinion because David Stern, like a lot of leaders we’ve seen in this world lately, don’t really tolerate other people’s opinion or free speech or anything. So I’m not really allowed to have an opinion.” Stan Van Gundy spoke to Dan Le Batard on the ticket, a  radio station in Miami, nearly two weeks ago to explain why he thought his potential hiring as an ESPN analyst fell apart.