A team official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been revealed publicly, told The Associated Press that Van Gundy's decision would be announced later Monday morning.

It was not immediately clear who would replace Van Gundy, but indications were that team president and former Heat coach Pat Riley, who named Van Gundy as his successor a little more than two years ago, could return to the sideline.

The team called a news conference for 11 a.m. ET, saying Van Gundy, Riley and Heat owner Micky Arison would appear.

Van Gundy's job status has been the subject of speculation in South Florida for months, starting when Riley — his mentor — said shortly after the Heat's 2005 playoff run ended that he may choose to take a larger role in the team's day-to-day operations.

That comment, which seemed innocuous at the time, set off a storm of speculation that Riley was planning to dismiss Van Gundy and take over a team with two of the NBA's biggest stars, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade. Riley coached the Los Angeles Lakers to four titles in the 1980s before moving onto the New York Knicks and the Heat.

The two eventually met for nearly four hours in mid-July, with Van Gundy emerging from that session saying he was assured that he'd remain Heat coach.

But this year's team struggled in its first 21 games, going only 11-10 — albeit without O'Neal for 18 of those 21 games while the 12-time All-Star nursed a sprained right ankle. Still, it wasn't the start that anybody expected from a team built to contend for an NBA championship.

Van Gundy was Riley's top assistant for eight seasons, getting the job shortly before the 2003-04 campaign when Riley walked into his office unexpectedly and told him he was stepping aside.

The move stunned Van Gundy. He'd paid his dues: college stints at Vermont, Castleton State, Canisius, Fordham, UMass-Lowell and Wisconsin were the early entries on his resume. When Riley joined the Heat now 10 seasons ago, Van Gundy came with him — in large part because his brother, Jeff, was under contract to the New York Knicks and couldn't stay on Riley's staff.

His first season didn't get off to a good start; the Heat lost Van Gundy's first seven games. But with Wade leading a talented nucleus of young players, Miami finished that season 42-40 and as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

And that summer, Riley sent three players to Los Angeles for O'Neal — part of three championships with the Lakers. Van Gundy coached the Heat to a second consecutive season of 17-win improvement, getting them to 59-23 last season, guiding them to the Southeast Division title and to the East finals.

The NBA's most erratic foul shooter sank the second of two tries with a second left in regulation to force overtime, and the Miami Heat ended a four-game losing streak by beating Washington 104-101 Sunday night.

Coming off the bench in his first action since a sprained right ankle sidelined him Nov. 3, O'Neal looked rusty but finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, four in overtime. He fouled out with 1:33 left after playing 23 minutes.

"I felt pretty good," O'Neal said. "I just wanted to get my guys going -- bring some energy and spirit to the lineup."

Dwyane Wade scored a season-high 41 points, including the final six for the Heat, and also had 10 rebounds and eight assists. But it was O'Neal who sank the shot that kept Miami in the game.

The Wizards led 95-94 with seven seconds left in the fourth quarter, but the Heat won a jump ball at their end. Wade passed inside to O'Neal, who was immediately fouled.

Nervous, big guy?

"I don't get nervous in any situation," O'Neal said. "There's no such thing as nerves when you're playing games."

His first attempt rimmed out, but after a Miami timeout, he swished the second try.

O'Neal finished 6-for-16 at the line, not including two misses negated by lane violations.

The game was billed as a tribute to the '70s, with both teams in throwback uniforms. The Heat wore black, pink and orange outfits styled after the Miami Floridians of the ABA, while Washington wore Baltimore Bullets-style uniforms.