Rick Pitino rules out return to the Knicks
St. John’s coach Rick Pitino has expressed his complete disinterest in returning to be the head coach of the New York Knicks.
Pitino made these statements during a broadcast of the game between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians.Absolutely not.
Rick Pitino
The experienced coach believes that the next Knicks coach will face enormous pressure. According to Pitino, any result that doesn’t take the team to the Finals will be considered a failure.
I think whoever comes, if they don’t reach the Finals, it will be considered an unsuccessful season.
Rick Pitino
The Knicks fired their coach, Tom Thibodeau, on Tuesday, despite having reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
The Knicks haven’t reached the NBA Finals since 1999 and haven’t won a championship since 1973.
Pitino, 72, had a 90-74 record with two playoff appearances in two seasons as New York’s coach from 1987 to 1989.The Hall of Fame member completed his second season as a coach at St. John’s in 2024-25, earning National and Big East Coach of the Year honors after finishing with a 31-5 record.
Thibodeau compiled a 226-174 (.565) record in five seasons with the Knicks, including a 51-31 finish this season. He had a 24-23 playoff record with New York.
