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Two of ESPN's top NBA personalities were reportedly among the company's latest round of layoffs on Friday (June 30).
Former NBA point guard Jalen Rose and former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy have been let go by the network, according to Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post. The company is reportedly planning to lay off "around 20 on-air personalities," the Post reported.
Rose, 50, who joined the network following his retirement in 2007, had recently seen a reduced role after his daily show with co-host David Jacoby, Jalen & Jacoby, was canceled following Jacoby's decision to mutually part ways from the company in December, before later joining the Ringer, reuniting with founder Bill Simmons, who he worked with on the former ESPN-owned blog Grantland.
Van Gundy, 61, has contributed to ESPN's NBA broadcasts since 2007, having called just under 100 NBA Finals games. Th former coach was on the call for the 2023 NBA Finals series between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets earlier this month alongside Hall of Fame play-by-play man Mike Breen and fellow analyst Mark Jackson, who he coached during his tenures with the New York Knicks as both an assistant and head coach.
Former NBA guard J.J. Redick, former NBA swingman Richard Jefferson and veteran broadcaster Doris Burke are reported to be among "the most likely" internal candidates to replace Van Gundy, according to the Post.