Red Holzman is the Knicks’ all-time leader in games coached.
The New York Knicks have had 31 head coaches in franchise history. Only one has led them to a championship. Let’s highlight their top five all-time leaders in games coached.
1. Red Holzman — 1,096 Games
Holzman became the head coach for the Knicks in the 1967-68 season. The Knicks made three appearances in the NBA Finals and won two championships with him at the helm. He was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 1969-70, leading the Knicks to a regular season record of 60-22. During his tenure, the Knicks had five seasons in which they won at least 50 games. Holzman finished with a regular season record of 613-483, while also going 54-43 in the playoffs.
2. Joe Lapchick — 573 Games
The Knicks were the only team that Lapchick coached during his career. In nine seasons with the team, spanning 1947-1956, he made the playoffs eight times. The Knicks made it to the NBA Finals three times under Lapchick, but were unable to win a title. He finished with a regular season record of 326-247. In the playoffs, he went 30-30.
3. Jeff Van Gundy — 420 Games
Van Gundy spent seven seasons as an assistant on the Knicks before getting his opportunity to be their head coach for 23 games in the 1995-96 season. In this first full season as their head coach, the team went 57-25 in 1996-97. The Knicks won the Eastern Conference in 1998-99, but lost to the Spurs in the NBA Finals. In June 2003, the Knicks traded Van Gundy to the Rockets for a second-round draft pick. Van Gundy went 248-172 with the Knicks during the regular season and 37-32 in the playoffs.
4. Tom Thibodeau — 400 Games
Thibodeau spent 20 seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA, which included seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Knicks. After stints as the head coach of the Bulls and Timberwolves, Thibodeau took over the Knicks in the 2020-21 season. He went 41-31 that season, leading the Knicks to the playoffs. The Knicks went 50-32 with him at the helm for the 2023-24 season and made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they lost to the Pacers, then reached the Eastern Conference Finals the following season, where they again lost to Indiana.
5. Hubie Brown — 344 Games
The legendary Hubie Brown spent time as a coach in both the ABA and NBA. After being the head coach of the Hawks for five seasons, he took over the Knicks in 1982-83. The following season, the Knicks went 47-35 and made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, the Knicks won a total of just 47 games over the next two seasons. Brown was eventually let go by the Knicks after they got off to a 4-12 start in the 1986-87 season. Brown finished with a regular season record of 142-202 with the franchise. In the playoffs, he went 8-10.
