Kimberly Van Gundy, the wife of former NBA coach and TV analyst Stan Van Gundy, has died. The family confirmed that Van Gundy passed away last week at 61 but didn’t have a cause of death.
Stan Van Gundy is known for his personality on the sidelines with the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and New Orleans Pelicans during his career. He met Kimberly at Castleton State College in Vermont back in the ’80s, while head coaching for the school. They ended up getting married in 1998, celebrating their 25th anniversary back in May, according to TMZ.
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“I lost my big sister Kimberly Abbott Van Gundy on Wednesday,” Kimberly Van Gundy’s sister, Catherine, said in a statement. Her obituary glowed about her devotion to charity and activism, with a request for donations to the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando or the Crossroad’s Corral instead of flowers.
The Van Gundys share four children. Three daughters, Shannon, Alison, and Kelly, circle one son, Michael. Kimberly is also survived by her parents, Jane Dennan and Ernest Abbott, four siblings, and over a dozen nieces and nephews, according to the New York Post.
Van Gundy last coached for the New Orleans Pelicans, ending a contentious season by being relieved of the job. He sold his $2 million mansion in August of 2021, with realtor Sonya Encalade selling to Van Gundy’s wife in December, relisting it in June after Van Gundy was fired by the Pelicans. “(Kim Van Gundy) invested a little over $230,000 in renovation in the short time she was there,” Encalade told NOLA.com. The house also had a “catio” installed that featured doors that gave the couple’s cats access to the space, with cat trees and doors installed throughout. “She had everything customized for the cats: (They added) a screened-in porch for the cats and cat doors for the cat to go on the roof and exit onto the screened-in patio.”
The care in decorating is clear, which is another feather in Kimberly Van Gundy’s hat. Rest in peace.
