NEW YORK — The New York Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday, just days after their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years.
The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers with a loss in Game 6 on Saturday night. They then decided to move on from Thibodeau, who led them to the postseason in four of his five seasons in New York.
The decision was made by team president Leon Rose with approval from owner Jim Dolan, a source told the AP on the condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made yet. The firing was first reported by ESPN.
“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” Rose said in the Knicks’ statement on the change. “This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction.”
Thibodeau spent the last five seasons helming the Knicks, leading the team to the playoffs in four of those years, while leading the team to back-to-back 50-plus win seasons for the first time since 1993-95.
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.
Their big breakthrough came in 2024-25, when they knocked off defending champion Boston 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.
“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,” Rose added. “He led us not only with class and professionalism … but also to tremendous success on the courth with floor playoff berths and four playoff series victories.
“Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward.”
— with files from Sportsnet Staff
