Knicks fire head coach Tom Thibodeau after first trip to Eastern Conference finals in 25 years
The New York Knicks' run to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals wasn't enough to save head coach Tom Thibodeau's job.
The Knicks fired Thibodeau on Tuesday, despite the team advancing to the semifinals of the NBA Playoffs for the first time in 25 years.
The decision was made by team president Leon Rose with approval from owner Jim Dolan, The Associated Press reported. The firing was first reported by ESPN.
"Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction," Rose said in a statement. "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. He led us not only with his class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories. Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for the organization moving forward. Tom will always be part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future."
Thibodeau brought the Knicks back to prominence
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.
Thibodeau faced criticisms that his hard-driving style and overreliance on his starters wore down his players, the same ones that have followed him since the beginning of his head coaching career in Chicago. But his ways seemed to be working in New York.
The Knicks hadn't won a playoff series since 2013 but now have done it in three straight seasons. They went 50-32 in 2023-24 and followed that with a 51-31 record this season.
The Knicks won their second and last NBA championship in 1973.
Fans perplexed by decision to fire Tom Thibodeau
CBS News New York's Allen Devlin went to Madison Square Garden not long after the announcement of Thibodeau's dismissal and spoke to fans. Many were critical of some of the aspects of Thibodeau's tenure, but said they still wanted him back.
"It's too soon to do," one fan said. "This is not like a [Mike] D'Antoni situation. This is the furthest we have been in years, so to cut him out and we don't see what next year looks like, we could be shooting ourselves in the foot."
"I feel like he brought us to, you know, the Eastern Conference finals and then we are going to get rid of him?" another fan said.
"I think he is almost wholly responsible for the culture change that we have experienced, so it's a little disappointing to not see him carry us the rest of the way," another fan added.
That sentiment was also shared by actor and Knicks super-fan Ben Stiller, .
"I am a Tom Thibodeau fan. He brought this team back. I felt he gave every bit of himself and was always looking to improve. I will always be grateful for how far he brought the Knicks. They are relevant again. They are championship contenders again. The Knicks became winners again with him. Thank you, COACH THIBS," Stiller wrote.
