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USA Today
2 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Who is James Dolan? Knicks owner makes waves after decision to fire Tom Thibodeau
Who is James Dolan? Knicks owner makes waves after decision to fire Tom Thibodeau Show Caption Hide Caption Shaq talks NBA Finals matchup and NBA on TNT Shaquille O'Neal joins Sports Seriously to talk about all things NBA and his upcoming Netflix docu-series 'Power Moves'. Sports Seriously The New York Knicks are fresh off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Although they ultimately lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games, this appearance was the organization's deepest playoff run in the 21st century. In fact, the Knicks' three straight postseason appearances matches their longest streak in that span as well. All this is to say that despite the best success the Knicks have seen in years, that didn't stop owner James Dolan from firing head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday morning in a shocking move that left the NBA world mouths agape. The news is especially shocking considering Thibodeau signed a three-year extension with the team just last summer. It's clear that Dolan is not afraid of ruffling a few feathers in pursuit of bringing the Knicks a championship. He's been a busy man in recent years, making waves on the roster by bringing in big names such as Karl-Anthony Towns. However, could this decision to remove one of the team's most successful coaches in recent memory destroy their chances moving forward? Here's everything to know about James Dolan: FEELING SENTIMENTAL: Knicks superfan Ben Stiller 'grateful' for work fired Tom Thibodeau did in New York Who is James Dolan? Dolan is officially listed as the executive chairman and chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden Sports and Madison Square Garden Entertainment. He is the owner of both the New York Knicks and the NHL's New York Rangers. He formerly owned the WNBA's New York Liberty, although he sold the team to Joseph Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai in 2019. He is one of six children of Cablevision founder Charles Dolan and is the nephew of the late Cleveland Guardians owner Larry Dolan. James Dolan's early business career Dolan was named CEO of Cablevision in 1995. Dolan established himself as a worthwhile businessman throughout his time with the company, but most notably in opposition to his father's proposed Voom satellite service. Dolan was given increased responsibility in managing Cablevision's sports properties in 1999, thus paving the way for him to be primary owner later in life. James Dolan's music career Dolan was originally pursuing a career in music before swapping to communications when that didn't work out. Despite the lack of success in his early life, he remains an avid musician, working as the singer for the rock band JD & the Straight Shot. Their most recent album, "The Great Divide," was released in 2019. James Dolan's personal life Dolan has been married twice and has six sons. He married his second wife, Kristin, in 2002. She was named CEO of AMC Networks in 2023. The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
In firing Tom Thibodeau, Knicks might get reminder that the grass isn't always greener
Between 2012 and 2020, New York Knicks head coaches Mike Woodson, Derek Fisher, Kurt Rambis, Jeff Hornacek, David Fizdale and Mike Miller had a combined … 238 regular-season wins. From 2020-25, New York head coach Tom Thibodeau had … 226 regular-season wins. Thibodeau, like the revolving door of coaches before him, is now out. Advertisement Per league sources, the Knicks relieved Thibodeau of his duties after the team reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years but failed to advance to the NBA Finals. With the goal of winning a championship, league sources told The Athletic that this organization needed a new voice and this was the first step in a process of reaching those heights. Those sources also said it was a decision made by team president Leon Rose with the backing of owner James Dolan. Read that again: New York fired its head coach after doing something it hadn't done in a quarter-century. The Knicks are relevant again, in large part due to the culture Thibodeau, who signed an extension last summer, helped build. Now they might have to learn the hard way that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Thibodeau led New York to back-to-back 50-win seasons. That hadn't happened since 1995. Thibodeau also led the Knicks to at least the conference semifinals three years in a row. That hadn't happened since 2000. The Knicks finished this regular season with the fifth-best offense in the NBA and eighth-best net rating. The team was put together one day before training camp and was one of the final four teams standing in the postseason. The man who played a big part in all of this is now without a job. Star guard Jalen Brunson said definitively after New York's season ended that Thibodeau was the right man for the sideline going forward. 'Is that a real question right now?' Brunson said when asked if Thibodeau was the guy to take the Knicks all the way. 'Did you just ask me if I believe he's the right guy? 'Yes.' Now, you have to wonder how the relationship with Brunson, who has been nothing but an upstanding leader and player for this franchise during its resurgence, will be. Advertisement Neither the Knicks nor Thibodeau were perfect this season, and that's part of what made this run special. The team had flaws, yet it found a way to overcome them and dethrone the defending NBA champions in the second round en route to the Eastern Conference finals. New York's core starting group (which the front office invested a lot of money and resources in over the last 1 1/2 years) of Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns had a negative net rating for most of the regular season and through the playoffs. That collection of talent never fully maximized its offensive firepower, particularly in the second half of the season and, apparently, the decision-makers believe the coaching played a part in that. Thibodeau also never leaned into a true five-out offense as bench guard Miles McBride barely played alongside Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby and Towns throughout the season. Furthermore, all season long, there have been questions about Thibodeau's reluctance to play his bench. In Thibodeau's defense, the Knicks, due to their financial limitations, didn't have the most inspiring bench pieces. Outside of McBride, and due to Mitchell Robinson missing most of the regular season due to injury, New York's second unit consisted primarily of journeymen and late draft picks. Thibodeau also received a lot of flak for playing his starters too many minutes. The starting group during the regular season played more minutes than any five-man unit in the NBA. Bridges and Hart were No. 1 and No. 2 in minutes played during the regular season. Anunoby ranked eighth. With that said, the Knicks got through most of the regular season healthy. Brunson is the only one who missed significant time due to injury and that was because he turned his ankle in a game. New York's core guys were still standing throughout the playoffs and the team didn't lose because of health issues. Also, saying the locker room needed a different voice doesn't really add up. Two of the longest-tenured core players, Brunson and Hart, were two of Thibodeau's biggest supporters. Bridges, Towns, Anunoby and the majority of the bench players just arrived to New York within the last 1 1/2 years. Thibodeau and Bridges did have some friction earlier this year when the latter spoke out publicly about the starters playing too many minutes. Bridges went on to tell reporters that he and Thibodeau had a discussion about it. When Thibodeau was asked about Bridges' comments later in the day, he said he and his player never had a conversation about the minutes. Bridges was the first Thibodeau player to speak out against the heavy workload, as most Thibodeau-coached players enjoy that the coach gives them the rope to play significant minutes. Advertisement The Knicks' decision-makers have taken more risks over the last 10 months than the previous four years combined. The trades for Bridges and Towns, and now the firing of Thibodeau, aren't just moves around the margins. The draft capital and financial investments behind those two players and now risking the stability that Thibodeau provided are franchise-altering decisions. Finally, New York had some good PR behind it. All of the talk about the Knicks was basketball-related. It was heading in a promising direction on the court. The franchise was making progress every year. Thibodeau was pivotal in all of that. It's good that the Knicks have set a high bar. That should be the standard. This, though, just feels like weird timing. The franchise has forward momentum. The core group isn't even a year old. Now, the pressure is back on New York to make sure the next head coach is the perfect hire. Thibodeau deserved another season, for no other reason than he was pivotal in returning the Knicks back to relevancy. He should have gotten another shot to maximize this group. Clearly, though, New York's suits feel different. They have to be right. Otherwise, this Knicks resurgence could suffer major setbacks. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. (Photo of Thibodeau: Mike Mulholland /Getty Images)
Bloomberg
23-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
What Happens When an Italian Racing Team Meets the Indy 500
This week, we speak with Doug Boles, president of Indycar, about the crazy tale of the Italian team taking pole position in this weekend's Indy 500 in their first ever season. We also give James Dolan some credit for the Knicks (not something that's happened in the past), and wrap up our visit to a very busy NFL owners meeting. As always, send us any feedback, tips or ideas here. If you aren't yet signed up to receive this newsletter, you can do so here. Hey, it's Ira. New York Knicks owner James Dolan is no stranger to bad press. For many years when the Knicks were very bad, Dolan bore the brunt of criticism for the franchise's failures. I was working at New York magazine in 2008 when it ran a feature story calling the Knicks ' Absolutely, Positively the Worst Team in the History of Professional Sports,' and at Bloomberg Businessweek more than a decade later when it published a headline asking ' Is the Knicks' James Dolan the Worst Owner in Professional Sports? '
Calgary Herald
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Changemaker: Acting coach, screen villain and ACTRA Alberta vice-president Chad Rook is creating a community of thespians who are landing work
Article content 'We have an endless amount of actors who are working full time. They are always booking,' he says. Article content 'It's almost every week that one of our students is booking something locally. We have grown our community. We have different social media with all of our students and we're always helping each other out. We have well over 100 actors in the community right now.' Article content Rook has spent time on film and TV sets in Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York and Europe, but is Calgary-based at the moment. He left for Vancouver after graduating from Picture Butte High School, initially to pursue a career as a model. He soon began landing TV roles in Vancouver. Article content Recent roles have included playing Billy the Kid antagonist James Dolan in the Alberta-shot series, which earned him a Leo Award in 2023. He played CFL player Jackie Parker, who played with the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1950s, in a Heritage Minute segment about Norman Kwong. He played a deputy in two seasons of Joe Pickett, as well. Article content Article content Rook credits his time in Vancouver studying under Canadian actor Ty Olsson, known for his roles in Supernatural and Flight 93, as changing both his views on the industry and the trajectory of his career. Article content 'He was very direct and told me what works and what doesn't work — to stop the bullsh-t and (do) what is needed,' Rook says. 'When I had a coach who did that, my career changed immediately because I knew what to do and what not to do. That's when I was like, 'people need to know about this.' Article content 'Unfortunately, there is — and I don't mind saying this, I'm a pretty direct guy — so many bad coaches and classes out there because you are out there learning from people who are not even successful at what they are trying to teach you to do. They are not even working actors. They quit the industry 20 years ago because it was too hard, and now they are teaching you what didn't even work for them.' Article content Article content Rook, on the other hand, continues to be a busy actor, with the Internet Movie Database listing 10 upcoming titles scheduled for 2025. Article content Perhaps inadvertently, he has carved out a niche for himself playing villains. He got his first major break playing supervillain Clyde Mardon, a.k.a. the Weather Wizard, in 2014 episodes of The Flash. In the NBC sci-fi series Timeless, he played a ruthless henchman to the main villain played by Goran Visnjic. In the 2017 blockbuster War for the Planet of the Apes, he played the aggressive military man, Boyle, who serves under the chief antagonist played by Woody Harrelson. Article content One of the more high-profile future projects is a role in HBO's IT: Welcome to Derry, a prequel to Stephen King's novel and the two films based on it that were released in 2017 and 2019. It was filmed in Hamilton, Ont.
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
James Dolan's thoughtful moment with young fan goes viral after Knicks' big win
Knicks owner James Dolan gave one fan an irreplaceable gift after the team's 121-113 victory over the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series Monday. Dolan was all smiles as he rolled down his window in the back of a black SUV outside of Madison Square Garden, where fans were gathered for a massive watch party. Advertisement He pointed to the boy, sporting a Knicks hat, and signaled for a security employee to hand him the ball. The ball was signed by Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, according to Mark Jones, who identified himself on X as the boy's grandfather. 'Thanks for the tickets too!' Jones was heard saying in the video, seemingly referring to Dolan providing them with the tickets. Advertisement 4 Knicks owner James Dolan gave one fan the winning game ball after the team's 121-113 victory over the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series on May 12, 2025. X/NBA_New York 4 James Dolan gave one fan the winning game ball after the team's 121-113 victory over the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series on Monday, May 12, 2025. X/NBA_New York In a separate X post, Jones included a photo of him and his grandson wearing Brunson t-shirts while taking in Game 4 from the lower bowl. Advertisement 4 Knicks owner James Dolan gave one fan the winning game ball after the team's 121-113 victory over the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series on May 12, 2025. X/NBA_New York 4 Knicks owner James Dolan gave one fan the winning game ball after the team's 121-113 victory over the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series on May 12, 2025. X/NBA_New York When someone said the boy's parents are '100 percent forcing him to sell [the ball] for money,' Jones replied, 'Nah. We letting he keep that. Signed by Brunson. Hold that for a while.' Brunson, the NBA Clutch Player of the Year, had 39 points and 12 assists in the Knicks' winning effort. Advertisement Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. The crowd applauded and cheered as the vehicle carrying Dolan, who was wearing a navy blue suit jacket and a brown fedora hat, pulled away. The Knicks could close out the series on the Celtics' home court in Game 5 on Wednesday, with Boston attempting to rally to win the series without star Jayson Tatum.
