The New York Knicks have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after the team’s most successful season in a quarter century.
Knicks president Leon Rose has not addressed the media about the decision, although he is notoriously adverse to communicating directly with reporters, having only done so on a few occasions. Daily Mail has reached out to Knicks spokespeople for further comment.
New York swingman Josh Hart reacted to the move on social media by expressing his appreciation for the 67-year-old Thibodeau, who guided the Knicks to a second-round upset of the defending-champion Boston Celtics last month: ‘Forever Grateful. Thank You!’
This season the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, but were ultimately upset by the Indiana Pacers in six games.
In fact, the Knicks reached the playoffs in four of five seasons under Thibodeau, who led the team to its first back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since the 1990s.
Thibodeau finishes his career in New York with a .511 winning percentage, which ranks fourth in team history behind Red Holzman, Pat Riley and Thibodeau’s former boss, Jeff Van Gundy.
The Knicks have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau following the conference finals defeat
Knicks stars and ex-Villanova players (from left) Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges
Josh Hart (far left), Jay Wright (center left) and Jalen Brunson (center right) celebrate
Thibodeau was an assistant under Riley and Van Gundy in the late 1990s and early 2000s before joining Van Gundy with Houston and working with Doc Rivers in Boston. Ultimately Thibodeau was given the Chicago Bulls head-coaching job in 2010, and has since coached the Minnesota Timberwolves as well.
There are a number of well-known candidates who could conceivably replace Thibodeau, including fired Nuggets coach Mike Malone, who was born in New York and led Denver to an NBA title in 2023.
However, Knicks fans immediately seized on a different name: two-time national champion and former Villanova head coach Jay Wright.
The Knicks are, of course, heavily tied to the Wildcats after bringing a bevy of Wright’s former players in Jalen Brunson, Hart, Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo, the latter of whom was traded to Minnesota in the deal for Karl-Anthony Towns before the season.
Now Towns is rumored to be on the trade block with the Knicks – and many other NBA teams – expected to pursue Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason.