Clippers reportedly adding Jeff Van Gundy to coaching staff

The former head coach and NBA analyst is expected to become Tyronn Lue's top assistant and focus on defense after Daniel Craig left to join the Bulls

Former longtime NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy reportedly will join Coach Tyronn Lue’s staff next season as the top assistant. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the story.

Van Gundy, 62, is expected to serve as the team’s defensive coordinator, replacing Daniel Craig, who left the Clippers last month to join the Chicago Bulls as an assistant.

Van Gundy coached the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, where Lue played for one season in 2004. Most recently, Van Gundy worked as a senior special consultant for the NBA champion Boston Celtics this season after working as an analyst for ESPN for 16 years. He has an overall record of 430-318 as a head coach.

Although he has worked in the broadcast booth for nearly two decades, Van Gundy was never far from the coaching and scouting circles, most notably with USA Basketball, where Lue is an assistant coach for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.