After parting ways with 17-year analyst Jeff Van Gundy on the grounds that he was a risk to return to coaching, ESPN could lose a lead NBA analyst for a second time in four months.
Lead ESPN NBA analyst JJ Redick will interview for the vacant Charlotte Hornets coaching job, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Monday. Redick would be the second lead ESPN analyst just this year to interview for a coaching position, following Doc Rivers — who returned to ESPN after a 20-year hiatus in October and left to coach the Milwaukee Bucks just three months later. Redick was picked as his replacement.
ESPN parted ways with the longtime analyst duo of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson during the offseason. ESPN’s reported rationale for letting go of Van Gundy, who had worked 17 consecutive seasons for the company, was that he might choose to return to coaching. Jackson did leave ESPN at one point to coach the Golden State Warriors and was floated as a possibility for several coaching positions after his return to the booth.
In the event that Redick is hired by the Hornets, it is likely that he would finish the current postseason. During his first stint with ESPN/ABC 20 years ago, Rivers was hired during the playoffs by the Boston Celtics and finished out the playoffs. Similarly, Jackson was hired by the Warriors during the 2011 playoffs and continued to broadcast games for the remainder of that postseason.
A coaching gig would disrupt what has been a steady climb in broadcasting for Redick, who in addition to his ESPN role hosts his own podcast “The Old Man and the Three” and co-hosts a podcast with LeBron James titled “Mind the Game.”
