New York Knicks Fire Tom Thibodeau
The New York Knicks have decided to dispense with the services of their head coach, Tom Thibodeau, as announced this Tuesday.Thibodeau led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years. In addition, he managed to qualify the team for the playoffs in four of his five seasons and achieved two consecutive 50-win seasons, something that hadn’t been seen since the 1990s.
“Our organization is focused on winning a championship for our fans,” said team president Leon Rose in a statement. “This pursuit led us to make the decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we have decided to go in another direction. We cannot thank Tom enough for putting his heart and soul into every day as the head coach of the New York Knicks.”
Leon Rose, President of the Knicks
Rose added: “…Ultimately, we make the decision that we believe is best for our organization in the future. Tom will always be part of our Knicks family and we wish him the best in the future.”
Last summer, the Knicks and Thibodeau agreed to a three-year extension that would keep him at the helm of the team through the 2027-28 season.
This was Thibodeau’s third stint as a head coach in the NBA, after having coached the Chicago Bulls (2010-2015) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (2016-2019).
According to data, Thibodeau has a winning percentage of .579 as a coach, the highest for any coach without an appearance in the Finals in NBA history (minimum 300 games coached).
