NBA: Knicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after five seasons
The New York Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday after five seasons and four playoff appearances.
The move announced by team president Leon Rose comes three days after a season-ending Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, the farthest the Knicks had advanced in the postseason in 25 years.
"Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans," Rose said. "This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction.
"We can't thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach. He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories. Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward.
"Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future."
Thibodeau, 67, compiled a 226-174 (.565) record in the regular season, including a 51-31 finish this season. He was 24-23 in the playoffs with New York.
In July 2024, Thibodeau signed a three-year extension through 2027-28 that was worth a reported $10 million to $11 million per season.
Thibodeau previously coached the Chicago Bulls (2010-15) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2016-19) and owns a career record of 578-420 (.579) in the regular season and 48-55 (.466) in the playoffs. He was named the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2010-11 and 2020-21.
He is two shy of becoming the 35th head coach in NBA history with 1,000 games.
The Knicks last reached the conference finals in 1999-2000 and have not won a championship since 1972-73.
Rose made Tuesday's decision with the full support of team owner James Dolan, according to The Athletic.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson voiced his support for Thibodeau following the season-ending loss against the Pacers on Saturday in Indianapolis.
"Is that a real question right now?" Brunson answered when asked whether Thibodeau was the man to take New York to the next level. "You just asked me if I believe he's the right guy? Yes. Come on."
Throughout his coaching career, Thibodeau has drawn criticism for his strategy of giving his starters a heavy workload, potentially leading to breakdowns and injuries.
Knicks swingman Mikal Bridges, who averaged a career-high 37.0 minutes in his first season with the club in 2024-25, voiced a complaint in March.
"Sometimes it's not fun on the body," Bridges said. "You'll want that as a coach but also talked to him a little bit knowing that we've got a good enough team where our bench guys can come in and we don't need to play 48 (minutes), 47." --Field Level Media/ Reuters
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