Former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy joins Celtics as senior consultant months after being shockingly laid off from ESPN

The Boston Celtics hired former longtime head coach and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy as a senior consultant in their basketball operations group.

Van Gundy, 61, was let go by ESPN in a cost-cutting move in late June after 16 years with the network. 

He coached 11 seasons in the NBA, going 430-318 with the New York Knicks (1995-2002) and Houston Rockets (2003-07).

His teams went 44-44 in the playoffs, and he led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference championship in 1999. 

That year, the San Antonio Spurs defeated New York in five games to win the NBA title.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla called the hire ‘awesome.’

ESPN Analysts Mark Jackson (left), Jeff Van Gundy, and Mike Breen pose for a photo before Game Four of the 2022 NBA Finals 

‘Any time you get to add like high-character, high-level, professional people, I think it’s a no-brainer and so fortunate enough that he’s here, not just for the coaching staff, but for everybody,’ Mazzulla told reporters before practice Saturday.

Van Gundy will split his time between Boston and Maine, home to the Celtics’ G League affiliate, MassLive reported.

After being laid off by ESPN, Van Gundy was reported in July to be ‘actively exploring a return to coaching,’ according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.

According to Mannix, Van Gundy discussed roles with the Mavericks and Celtics, while there was also ‘mutual interest’ between him and the Wizards. 

The Celtics begin their season on October 25 at the Knicks.