According to multiple reports, former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy was among the 20 big-name on-air personalities that ESPN laid off in a cost-cutting effort by the network dubbed as the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
New York Post was the first to report on the massive layoffs at ESPN on Friday.
Van Gundy, 61, spent the last 16 years with the network creating on-air chemistry with former Knicks guard Mark Jackson and long-time Knicks play-by-play anchor Mike Breen.
“Jeff Van Gundy is a stunner. He was making millions,” a source told Front Office Sports. “He and [Mike] Breen are the most watchable on ESPN’s NBA coverage.”
Before joining the television booth, Van Gundy held head coaching jobs in New York and Houston. He was the third-winningest coach in Knicks history with 248 wins, 25 victories ahead of Pat Riley.
Jalen Rose, who played for six different teams, including the Knicks in 2006, was also among the casualties of the cost-cutting effort by ESPN to save tens of millions of dollars.
Rose was part of the NBA Countdown crew and a former co-host of the sports morning show Get Up with Mike Greenberg and Michelle Beadle, who reached a buyout with ESPN in 2019.
Other prominent ESPN on-air personalities that were part of the layoff were Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson and Suzy Kolber.
This marked the third round of layoffs at ESPN as part of mandates from parent company Disney, which announced earlier this year that around 7,000 jobs would be eliminated, according to the New York Post.
Former NBA player LaPhonso Ellis, a college basketball analyst, was also let go. Vince Carter, whose contract will expire in September, will also not be renewed, per Front Office Sports.
Pacers Eye Knicks’ Obi Toppin
The Indiana Pacers have emerged as the leading trade suitor for underutilized Knicks forward Obi Toppin, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
Toppin is extension-eligible this summer and has been the subject of trade rumors for quite a while now, especially after details of his verbal altercation with Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau during the playoffs emerged.
A potential offer from the Pacers should involve draft compensation, as they are also close to sending former lottery pick Chris Duarte to the Sacramento Kings for a future pick.
In three seasons with the Knicks, Toppin averaged 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.7 minutes off the bench. But in 15 starts, he flashed the potential that made him the National College Player of the Year before jumping to the pros. He put up 20.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a starter.
Knicks Top Free Agent Target Has 4 Meetings
According to Newsday’s Steve Popper, Donte DiVincenzo will have four meetings between Friday night and Saturday.
NBA Free Agency begins Friday at 6 p.m. E.T.
Less than three hours to free agency and don’t expect quick answers. Donte DiVincenzo is taking four meetings between tonight and tomorrow.
Multiple reports link DiVincenzo as a lock to sign with the Knicks.
DiVincenzo, the 17th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is coming off a solid season with the Warriors as a spark plug off the bench. The 26-year-old sharpshooter shot a career-best 39.7% from downtown while averaging 9.4 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals in a career-high 72 games.
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Ex-Knicks Coach Among ESPN’s Big-Name Layoffs: Report