Tom Thibodeau went 226-174 in his 5 seasons with the Knicks.
The New York Knicks will be searching for a new coach in the offseason after they relieved coach Tom Thibodeau of his duties. Per the team, Thibodeau is out as coach of the Knicks just days after he and the team were ousted in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks made what they called a “difficult decision” to move on from Thibodeau, believing it was a necessary step in their chase for a championship.
“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 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,” team president Leon Rose said in a statement.
“Ultimately we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
.@nyknicks Announce Coaching Change pic.twitter.com/XhWOUSwWvn
— NY Knicks PR (@NY_KnicksPR) June 3, 2025
The move was made by Rose with approval from owner Jim Dolan, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because that detail was not included in the announcement.
Thibodeau led the Knicks to a 51-31 finish overall in 2024-25 as the team was No. 2 in the Atlantic Division and the No. 3 seed overall in the Eastern Conference. New York defeated the Detroit Pistons 4-2 in the first round and the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing 4-2 to the Indiana Pacers in the East Finals.
Thibodeau made the playoffs in four of his five seasons with the Knicks and just last summer was rewarded with a three-year contract extension. He went 226-174 in his five seasons with the Knicks and enjoyed his most successful campaign in 2024-25.
Overall, New York went further than they’d gone in 25 years, just not as far as they hoped.
They signaled they were serious about making a run at the NBA title when they traded for Mikal Bridges in the summer and then Karl-Anthony Towns in a preseason blockbuster, adding a top perimeter defender and an All-Star center to a lineup headlined by Jalen Brunson.
Their all-in moves just couldn’t get them all the way there.
The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, leaving them without a championship since 1973. But after advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000 following consecutive second-round exits, they could at least feel that they are getting closer.
After Boston rolled to the 2024 title and brought back all its key players, the Celtics were viewed as strong favorites in the East. Yet after building gradually since Rose’s arrival as team president in 2020, the Knicks weren’t conceding anything to the champions.
They re-signed OG Anunoby to the largest contract in team history, then traded five first-round picks in the deal to acquire Bridges from Brooklyn. Just as they were set to begin training camp, the Knicks dealt two starters in All-Star Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, who had just set their single-season 3-point record, to get Towns from Minnesota.
The moves made the Knicks good enough to get past the Celtics in the second round. But it turned out to not be the right roster against the deep and speedy Pacers, who knocked them out for the second straight season.
The Knicks appeared to find a new gear late in the East Finals by extending the rotation and going big-big in the starting lineup.
“You make the moves to win, so it hurts to not be able to bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” star big man Karl-Anthony Towns said recently. “We’ve got a bunch of great guys in that locker room and the plan now is just to put ourselves in this position again and succeed next time.”
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.
“Is that a real question right now?” Brunson said. “You just asked me if I believe that he’s the right guy? Yes. Come on.”
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.
And even among the celebrities that filled Madison Square Garden, Thibodeau’s gruff style was a natural fit for fans who longed for the defense-driven success of the 1990s.
“I am a Tom Thibodeau fan. He brought this team back,” actor Ben Stiller, who watched the postseason run from his courtside seat, wrote on X. “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.”
Thibodeau went on to help the Boston Celtics win the 2008 NBA title as an assistant, earning a reputation as one of the league’s top defensive minds, before finally getting a chance as a coach with the Bulls in 2010-11. He went 62-20 in his first season, earning his first NBA Coach of the Year award.
Thibodeau, who spent five seasons with the Bulls and also coached Minnesota, is 578-420 as a coach.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
