Mike Brown, the Chosen One to Lead the Knicks
The New York Knicks are about to finalize the hiring of Mike Brown as their next head coach, according to sources close to the franchise.
The decision comes after an exhaustive selection process led by Knicks president Leon Rose, who was looking to replace Tom Thibodeau, fired a month ago.
During this process, the Knicks requested permission to interview several NBA coaches, but were denied. Subsequently, several available candidates were interviewed, conducting multiple rounds of conversations.
Mike Brown, with an impressive track record as an assistant and head coach, emerges as the preferred option.
Brown has proven to be a coach capable of leading his teams to success, both in his role as an assistant and in his time as head coach.
Brown has been a champion four times as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, under the tutelage of Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich, respectively. In addition, he has coached a large number of superstars over three decades in the NBA.
Among the players Brown has coached are figures of the stature of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, De’Aaron Fox, and Domantas Sabonis.
Your experience and ability to work with top-tier talent make you an ideal candidate to lead the Knicks.
Brown was fired by the Kings in December after a 13-18 start to the season, despite having led the franchise to its first playoff appearance in 16 seasons in 2023, breaking the longest postseason drought in NBA history.
In that season, the Kings had the NBA’s highest-rated offense.
Brown was the only coaching candidate who interviewed for the Knicks job multiple times, including meetings with Rose, the team’s management, and owner James Dolan.
The Knicks also interviewed other candidates, including former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, New Orleans Pelicans associate coach James Borrego, and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
Brown, with a combined record of 454-304 as a head coach with the Cavaliers, Lakers and Kings, won his first NBA Coach of the Year award in 2009 with Cleveland. He repeated the award in 2023 with Sacramento.
Brown led the Cavs to an appearance in the NBA Finals in 2007, although Cleveland was swept by the Spurs in four games.
The Knicks, who lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals last season, haven’t reached the NBA Finals since 1999 and haven’t won an NBA title since 1973.
