Maybe the biggest news in the NBA on Tuesday was the one that the New York Knicks made on Tom Thibodeau.
Not long after Thibodeau helped the Knicks knock off the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs and reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in over 20 years, the Knicks have decided to let him go.
One Knicks player who responded on X to the news of Thibodeau’s dismissal is none other than guard Josh Hart. In a post, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be coached by Thibodeau.
Forever Grateful 🧡💙 Thank You! https://t.co/a81D5SST1d
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) June 3, 2025
Thibodeau was the head coach of the Knicks for five seasons, and he helped the franchise return to relevance during his tenure in New York.
Before Thibodeau took over the head coaching reins, the Knicks were mired in a lengthy playoff drought. New York hadn’t made the playoffs since 2013 when he was named the team’s head coach, yet the Knicks were a consistent playoff contender under his leadership.
Impressively, the Knicks made the playoffs in all but one of Thibodeau’s five seasons steering the ship. Plus, they advanced to at least the second round of the playoffs in every one of his final three years as the team’s head coach.
Seemingly few players benefitted more from playing under Thibodeau during his Knicks tenure than Hart. He’s has been with the Knicks for two-plus seasons now, and he enjoyed arguably a career year in the 2024-25 campaign. Hart led the NBA in minutes per game with 37.6 and also put up career-highs in assists and rebounds per contest.
It should be fascinating to find out who the Knicks will appoint to be Thibodeau’s successor. If the Knicks are looking for a head coach with championship experience, they could turn to former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who is currently without a coaching job.
Malone was the head coach of the Nuggets when they won their first title in franchise history in 2023. They eliminated the Miami Heat in that year’s championship series.
