Stan Van Gundy opens up about his late wife’s death

Jan 30, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy during the second half of the Boston Celtics 113-109 win over the Detroit Pistons at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Stan Van Gundy’s wife died unexpectedly last summer, and the former NBA coach recently opened up about the family tragedy.

Van Gundy’s wife Kimberly died on Aug. 16, 2023 at the age of 61. No cause of death was given at the time, with the obituary only stating that it was unexpected. In an interview with “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” that was published on Saturday, Van Gundy revealed that Kimberly committed suicide.

“She took her own life, Dan,” Van Gundy said. “I’ll never … I don’t care how long it goes, I can’t imagine that I’ll ever get over that … it was devastating. We’d been married for 35 years, and had been together for close to 40 years — since I was 24 years old. … I knew she was going through a tough time, but I still never envisioned that happening. Even now, it’s been eight months, and I struggle to come to grips with the fact that I’m never gonna see her again.”

BREAKING: Stan Van Gundy revealed that his wife, Kim, who passed away in August, died by suicide.

“She took her own life, Dan,” Van Gundy said, pausing to find the right words. “I’ll never … I don’t care how long it goes, I can’t imagine that I’ll ever get over that … it was… pic.twitter.com/bU5ZcDHddm

— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) May 25, 2024

Van Gundy said he will never get over Kimberly’s death and that he feels a great deal of guilt over it because “my responsibility was to take care of her and to give her a great life.”

Stan and Kimberly got married on May 28, 1998. Van Gundy told Le Batard that the four children he and Kimberly have together is “what’s keeping me going.”

Van Gundy, 64, was a head coach in the NBA for 13 seasons with four different teams (making the Finals with the Orlando Magic in 2009). Since his last coaching job, he has become a successful analyst for TNT and CBS.

Former Magic star Dwight Howard was one of the people who had a nice gesture for Van Gundy after Kimberly died last year.