Stan Van Gundy is an NBA coach, who formerly served as the head coach and president of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons. From 2003 to 2005, he was the head coach of the Miami Heat but resigned in 2005 mid-season, turning the job over to Pat Riley. Van Gundy then coached the Orlando Magic for five seasons from 2007 to 2012, leading them to the 2009 NBA Finals. His brother, Jeff Van Gundy, is the former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets coach.
Stan Van Gundy Net Worth As Of 2018: $20 Million
Van Gundy has been coaching basketball professionally since 1981 and been working in the NBA since 1994. Let’s take a look back at his career and life in basketball.
Early Life
Van Gundy, 58, was born in Indio, California. His father, Bill, and younger brother, Jeff, also worked as basketball coaches. Stan was a starting guard at Alhambra High School in Martinez, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. He played basketball for his father, Bill Van Gundy, at SUNY-Brockport, a Division III school, until he graduated in 1981 with a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Physical Education.
1981-1995
Upon graduation, Van Gundy went to the University of Vermont where he worked as an assistant coach. Over the next 14 years, he would work his way up the college ladder as both an assistant and head coach. In total, his college coaching career took him to six different schools. his first head coaching gig was at Castleton University in Vermont. His last head coaching gig was at the University of Wisconsin for just one season, from 1994-1995. He finished his college career with a 135-92 record as head coach.
1995-2006
Van Gundy spent twelve years with the Heat organization, beginning as an assistant coach to Pat Riley in 1995. After working as an assistant under Riley for nine seasons, Van Gundy was named head coach when Riley abruptly resigned as coach prior to the 2003–04 season. Pat Riley stayed in the Heat organization though. When Van Gundy resigned in the middle of the 2005-06 season to “spend more time with his family”, many speculated it was Riley who pushed him out. Riley became the new head coach of the Heat and led them to their first championship in the same season.
2007-Present
In 2007, Van Gundy accepted a head coaching offer from the Orlando Magic. He coached for the Magic for five seasons before being fired due to alleged feuding with the Magic’s star player, Dwight Howard. His most successful season was in 2008-2009 when he led his team to 59 wins and a Finals appearance, Orlando’s first ever. He was hired by the Pistons in 2014 as their head coach and president of basketball operations. He was on the team for three seasons before parting ways with Detroit in 2018.