How Does Stan Van Gundy Carry On After Wife’s Tragic Suicide? ‘I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over It’
Stan Van Gundy, the former NBA coach and current TNT broadcaster, has recently shared the heartbreaking news about the death of his wife, Kim Van Gundy.
Kim, who passed away in August 2023, died by suicide after struggling with mental illness. The revelation came during a poignant discussion on Dan Le Batard’s “South Beach Sessions” podcast, marking the first time Van Gundy has publicly discussed the specific circumstances of her death.
Stan and Kim met in 1984 when Stan got a job coaching basketball at Castleton State College in Vermont. Kim was a student there. They stayed together for 35 years, and during that time, Kim was always there for Stan, supporting him as he moved around for his coaching jobs, from small college towns to big cities where NBA teams played.
Her support was really important, especially when Stan became head coach for teams like the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and New Orleans Pelicans.
Reflecting on their life together, Van Gundy expressed his deep sense of loss and disbelief.
“My entire adult life, I trace everything: job changes, kids, everything, I was with her, and she was by my side. I never, ever envisioned that I was going to live any day in my life without Kim,” he shared.
He revealed that Kim had been diagnosed with a mental illness and that her struggles had intensified leading up to her death. Despite being aware of her difficulties, he was devastated by the reality of her suicide.
“She took her own life, Dan. I don’t care how long it goes. I can’t imagine that I’ll ever get over that. It was devastating.”
He is deeply saddened by the loss of his wife. He keeps many pictures of her around their home and tries hard to remember her by following the good values she taught him. He feels her values were even better than his own and wants to live his life in a way that would make her proud.
Van finds a lot of comfort from his four children. They sometimes tell him that Mom would be proud of him for certain things he does. Hearing this makes him feel better, knowing that his actions would have made his wife happy.
In addition to coping with Kim’s death, Van has also faced the broader challenge of dealing with an increasing presence of death and illness in his life. He shared that his brother Jeff’s best friend recently died of cancer, which has further compounded his grief.
“As you get older, man, it’s just all around you and it becomes part of your life. It’s one of the things I’m trying to deal with in therapy, besides the loss of my wife, how do I deal with this? Where’s the joy in life?“
Therapy has been really important for him. It’s been helping him deal with all the complicated feelings and guilt he’s been going through. He’s been feeling like he let his wife down by not being able to take care of her and make her life better.
But his therapist keeps reminding him that Kim’s mental illness played a big part in what happened, so it’s not all his fault.
Even though he feels very sad, he still keeps working for TNT. He went back to his job as a broadcaster not long after the NBA season started in October.
Doing his job helps him feel a little bit normal and gives him something else to focus on. His coworkers and the players he used to coach have been really helpful and supportive, which makes dealing with his sadness a bit easier for him.