The NBA playoffs delivered a wild twist Saturday night when Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy found himself in a surprising courtside tussle—not with a player, but with Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić.
With just over seconds left in a tense Game, the Nuggets were trailing by a single point. After a turnover by Kawhi Leonard, Jokić rushed to inbound the ball and keep Denver’s momentum alive. But as he reached for the ball, Van Gundy—seated on the Clippers’ bench—refused to hand it over, gripping it tightly with the help of team trainer Jasen Powell. The brief struggle drew laughs and disbelief from fans and players alike, as the 63-year-old coach momentarily held off the reigning three-time MVP.
The Clippers, hoping to use a coach’s challenge, managed to delay Denver’s inbound without drawing a delay-of-game warning. Ultimately, the challenge failed, and the Nuggets regained possession, but the bizarre scene quickly went viral.
Jokić later joked about the “two against one” scenario, while Nuggets guard Christian Braun teased that the star center “needed to hit the weight room” after failing to wrest the ball from Van Gundy. Even Denver’s interim head coach David Adelman quipped about adopting similar tactics if there’s no penalty.
The incident adds another colorful chapter to Van Gundy’s storied NBA career—and leaves fans wondering what antics could unfold as the series continues.
