He played for three different coaches in three seasons in New Orleans. Of those three coaches, Josh Hart had previously said only the most general things publicly. On the latest episode of The Roommates Show, and with a championship ring now on his finger, he finally said the rest.

Hart, alongside teammate Jalen Brunson on a recent episode of the Roommate podcast, shared his honest thoughts about his time at the New Orleans Pelicans under then-coach Stan Van Gundy.

“No, Stan’s by far the worst,” Hart said. “I know. Stan, they’re like, we got this. And I like both of those guys. And yes, I do like Stan. I do. I hated playing for him. But as a person, I like Stan. But it was cool for me to see. Just being the player I am and the position I was. This dude is willing to listen to, you know, whoever. … And so that was refreshing to see. Especially because I haven’t had too much of that in my six, seven coaches. Mike, we talk a lot about on this show.”

Josh Hart and Stan Van Gundy spent one season together with the Pelicans during the 2020-21 campaign, when Van Gundy served as head coach, and Hart was one of the team’s key rotation players. Van Gundy was hired as Pelicans head coach in October 2020, and Hart played 47 games that season, starting just four, before suffering a thumb injury that ended his year.

After Van Gundy’s departure, Hart was careful not to criticize him publicly. However, he acknowledged that the transition from former coach Alvin Gentry was difficult. Hart said that “it was definitely different. It wasn’t the easiest transition.” That comment came as reports surfaced that several players struggled with Van Gundy’s demanding and detail-oriented coaching style. There, he averaged 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Josh Hart Opens Up on Being Benched by Mike Brown in New York

Josh Hart, still on the Roommate podcast, talked about being benched by coach Mike Brown as the Knicks were on a quest for their first title in 53 years.

““I’m just sitting there, I’m like — I’m like, ‘Dog’ I was like, ‘Maybe I’m cuck, maybe I’m a*s. Maybe it’s not gonna work out.’ We’re gonna try to figure it out, but that was my initial thought process. “The thing we all, as players, value the most is that he might not have the answer to the question right there, but he’s gonna figure it out.”

This occurred during the 2025-26 season when new Knicks coach Mike Brown benched Hart for the entire fourth quarter of a loss to the Orlando Magic. Hart admitted afterward that it was frustrating, but emphasized that he had to think about the team rather than himself. Just two days after the benching, he returned to the starting group and recorded a triple-double in a win over the Miami Heat.