NBA analyst, former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy reveals cause of death of Kim, his wife of 25 years
The wife of longtime NBA coach and television analyst Stan Van Gundy died unexpectedly last August. Nine months later and still in mourning, Van Gundy has revealed the cause.
Kimberly Jane Abbott Van Gundy died at age 61 by suicide.
“She took her own life,” the former Miami Heat coach said on South Beach Sessions, a Miami-based podcast hosted by Dan Le Batard. “I can’t imagine that I’ll ever get over that ... it was devastating. 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 gonna live any day in my life without Kim.”
Van Gundy said his wife of 25 years had been diagnosed with a mental illness.
“I knew she was going through a tough time, but I still never envisioned that happening,” the former coach told Le Batard. “Even now, I struggle to come to grips with the fact that I’m never gonna see her again. I’m trying hard to stay connected. My house is full of pictures of Kim. There’s a montage of pictures above my bed that my kids did for me of Kim. I’m trying hard to remember her voice, to remember her smile, all of those things.”
Kim is survived by Stan and their four young adult children, son Michael and daughters Shannon, Alison and Kelly. Survivors also include her mother, father, four brothers, three sisters and 13 nieces and nephews.
Stan and Kim had met in 1983 when she worked in the admissions office at Castleton College in Vermont and Van Gundy was the school’s new men’s basketball coach. She was graduated from Castleton and later earned a Master’s in education at Fordham University.
The couple married on May 28, 1998.
Van Gundy, 64, was an NBA head coach 13 seasons — the first three with the Heat in 2003-05 before resigning. He also coached the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons before most recently coaching the New Orleans Pelicans in 2020-21.
Van Gundy’s brother Jeff also was an NBA coach and, like Stan, a television analyst.
Stan Van Gundy currently works for TNT and is part of the broadcast team of the Western Conference finals. He said on Le Batard’s podcast that he is in therapy but that life is hard without Kim, saying, “I think I’ll get better. I just don’t think I’ll ever get over it.”
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Feeling the need for help? The 988 Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. The group is committed to improving crisis services and advancing suicide prevention by empowering individuals, advancing professional best practices, and building awareness. Call or text 988 to connect.
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 3:20 PM.
