Thibodeau helped the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, made the playoffs in four of his five years, and led the team to consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time since the 1990s.
Stream New York's #1 news - Accuweather - original content 24/7The New York Knicks are firing head coach Tom Thibodeau, the team announced on Tuesday. "Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans," team president Leon Rose said in a statement.
"This pursuit led us to the 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." Thibodeau helped the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, made the playoffs in four of his five years, and led the team to consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time since the 1990s. The Knicks, eliminated by the Indiana Pacers with a loss in Game 6 on Saturday night, decided to move on from Thibodeau after leading the team to the postseason in four of his five seasons.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. The Knicks reached a three-year extension with Thibodeau last summer that took him through the 2027-28 season. The team 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. New York was the veteran coach's third head-coaching stop in the NBA, including time with the Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves . He has a .579 career win percentage as a head coach, the highest by any coach without a Finals appearance in NBA history , according to ESPN Research.
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