Knicks reportedly firing coach Tom Thibodeau after Eastern Conference finals exit
It's a strange decision by the Knicks, who had been one of the league's worst franchises for most of the 2000s until Thibodeau was hired in 2020. He promptly led the Knicks to the playoffs in his first season, winning his second NBA Coach of the Year award, and they have been a solid contender in the East in recent seasons.
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Their big breakthrough came in 2024-25, when they knocked off the defending champion Celtics in the second round to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000 — when Thibodeau was an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy.
After they were eliminated Saturday, captain Jalen Brunson expressed his support for Thibodeau, bristling at a question about whether he believed the coach was right for the team.
Three days later, Thibodeau was gone with a 226-174 record in New York. He has the fourth-most wins by a Knicks coach.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Sources: Some Knicks players weren't thrilled with Tom Thibodeau, with his firing being spearheaded by owner James Dolan
OKLAHOMA CITY — The initial shock has worn off from the New York Knicks firing Tom Thibodeau after a successful five-year run and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000. What was clear was Thibodeau's firing being spearheaded by Knicks owner James Dolan, sources told Yahoo Sports. Dolan and team president Leon Rose held exit meetings with key Knicks players and the complaints were clear. Advertisement Dolan, whom sources said was never a huge Thibodeau fan through the years, asked the questions in the meeting while Rose took a secondary role. A couple of players felt like Thibodeau played the starters too many minutes and felt he had an inability to adjust, sources said, and another player said he didn't feel like he could play for Thibodeau if the coach returned next season. The complaints obscured the success, perhaps — four winning seasons in five years, the last two being 50-win campaigns. Getting to at least the second round in the last three years was commendable, but perhaps the Knicks left food on the table in the playoffs, falling short to the Pacers last year and this year, the latter in spectacular fashion. Advertisement Thibodeau did play his starters a lot and didn't develop a bench the way other coaches have. Mikal Bridges openly complained about playing too many minutes and that's when it seemed things started to go sideways. You don't fire Thibodeau with three years and $30 million on a contract extension that won't kick in until next season because you lose in the conference finals. You fire Thibodeau because you want to. But it's unclear where the Knicks go from here. Perhaps they try to poach Jason Kidd from Dallas, maybe highly thought of assistant Johnnie Bryant gets his first job — albeit in a difficult situation. Advertisement Some have suggested the coaching search will go into Summer League in July, because it seems the Knicks don't have an outlined plan for the future. Either way, things are intriguing, if not wholly uncertain, in Manhattan.
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Fox News
Knicks will seek permission to speak with Mavs' Jason Kidd as coaching search kicks into high gear: reports
The New York Knicks' head coaching search appears to be in full swing. After making the surprising decision to part ways with Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks are now eyeing Jason Kidd as a potential candidate to replace the franchise's fourth-winningest coach. According to ESPN, the Knicks are actively vetting Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd. Since Kidd is under contract with the Mavs, the Knicks would have to submit a formal request to speak to the Dallas coach. The Knicks have yet to request permission to interview Kidd, sources told ESPN. Exploring a trade could also be a route the Knicks could take. But the Knicks did exhaust a considerable amount of draft capital to acquire forward Mikal Bridges. Kidd reportedly interviewed with the Knicks in 2020, but Thibodeau got the job. Thibodeau led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals berth since 2000. The Indiana Pacers eliminated New York in six games. Kidd spent the final season of his lengthy NBA career with the Knicks. Prior to taking the Mavs' head coaching job, Kidd had coaching stints with the Nets and the Bucks. He also served as an assistant coach for the Lakers from 2019-21. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Coco Gauff gets French Open moment with Spike Lee hug after giving him ‘something to cheer for' after Knicks loss
No Knicks in the NBA Finals meant Spike Lee flew to Paris for a different American sports victory. The Academy Award-winning American filmmaker was in attendance for Coco Gauff's first Roland Garros title on Saturday morning, witnessing the 21-year-old take down world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. Dressed in all white with a Yankees hat and sunglasses, Lee, with the occasional seat twitching during the competitive, two-hour and 38-minute match, stood up and cheered on Gauff to her second Grand Slam win. Gauff, 21, eventually fell to the ground as tears rolled down her face in victory, and before going up to her family and coaches' box to greet them, she stopped to see Lee. The young American greeted Lee, giving him a hug and several high-fives before Gauff moved along with the French Open festivities. 5 Spike Lee and Coco Gauff during the Roland Garros 2025 tournament on June 7, 2025 in Paris, France. Zabulon Laurent/ABACA/Shutterstock 5 Spike Lee and Coco Gauff hug after she won the French Open on Saturday — her first major win in Paris. Zabulon Laurent/ABACA/Shutterstock Coco Gauff celebrated with Spike Lee after winning Roland-Garros 🤝🇺🇸#RolandGarros — TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 7, 2025 5 Spike Lee is seen on Day Fourteen of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 7, 2025 in Paris, France. WireImage Gauff, despite being a Georgia native, understood how much the Knicks-Pacers series meant to Lee. During the post-match press conference, she said she planned on saying something if she ended up winning the match. 'And when I saw him on the court, I was like 'If I win this match, the first person I'm gonna dab up is Spike Lee,' she said. 'So, once I won the match, I went to the ground and everything, I went straight to Spike Lee. I wanted to tell him, 'I had to do it. You know, even if the Knicks didn't win, I'm glad I gave him something to cheer for.' So, yeah, that was pretty cool. I haven't seen the video yet, but I'm excited to see it.' 5 Coco Gauff of United States greets Spike Lee after her victory over Aryna Sabalenka during the Women's Singles Final match. Getty Images 5 Coco Gauff and Spike Lee high-five at the French Open. Zabulon Laurent/ABACA/Shutterstock Although Lee is a frequent visitor to the U.S. Open — the last major of the season held in Flushing, Queens — Gauff admitted that the brief interaction was her first official meeting with him. 'That was the first time I really met him up close,' she said. 'I've seen him at my matches at the U.S. Open, and when I saw him on the court today, I saw him when I was warming up. They panned the camera to him in the gym when I was warming up and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, Spike Lee is here.' And then I kinda felt bad because I usually put my towel in that spot, which is why I feel like he sat there. But because you know the lower-ranked player gets the other box, I put my towel in the other box.' With the victory, Gauff became the first American woman in a decade to win the French Open, since Serena Williams did so in 2015. She is also the youngest American to win the women's singles title since 2002, when Williams — at 20 years old — won the first of her three career titles in Paris.
