With the head-coach search ongoing, the Portland Trail Blazers have asked the Los Angeles Clippers for permission to interview assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy. The request comes as the franchise weighs its next move after interim leadership and amid speculation
The Trail Blazers’ coaching search didn’t just pick up steam—it ran straight into a door that belongs to someone else.
Portland has requested permission from the Clippers to interview assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported via Twitter. For a candidate who’s spent the past two seasons as the lead assistant with the Clippers. that single request is the difference between being discussed and actually sitting in the room.
Van Gundy’s name carries weight in NBA circles. He has been the head coach twice—first with the Knicks and then with the Rockets—from 1995 to 2007. Over that span, he compiled a career record of 430–318, including a trip to the 1999 Finals with the Knicks. His playoff résumé is also part of why people keep circling back to him: only five current coaches—Erik Spoelstra. Steve Kerr. Rick Carlisle. Mike Brown. and Tyronn Lue—have more career playoff wins than Van Gundy.
Before his coaching years, Van Gundy also built a different kind of basketball profile. He spent 16 years as a broadcaster with ESPN, where he often worked alongside Mark Jackson. Their paths intertwine in a coaching way as well—Van Gundy coached Jackson as an assistant with the Knicks. then again in Jackson’s final season with the Rockets.
Portland’s process. however. is happening in a backdrop that has already shaped how fans and insiders interpret every next step. Tiago Splitter served as the team’s interim head coach following the arrest of Chauncey Billups. who was arrested as part of a federal investigation into illegal gambling. Since then. rumors have pointed to the direction new owner Tom Dundon wants to go—reportedly preferring a different. ideally cheaper. path.
In that context, Van Gundy isn’t the only name floating around. Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori is also viewed as a potential candidate for the position.
The situation turns on a simple sequence: the Blazers want to speak to Van Gundy, the Clippers have to grant permission, and the search can either widen—or tighten—based on what ownership is actually aiming for next.
Trail Blazers Portland Jeff Van Gundy Clippers head coach search Chauncey Billups Tiago Splitter Tom Dundon Micah Nori