Tom Thibodeau

By Joe Lombardi From Daily Voice

In a move that has sent shockwaves throughout the sports world, the New York Knicks have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after he led the team to their best postseason run in 25 years.

The Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers four games to two in the Eastern Conference finals, marking the first time they were one series away from the NBA finals since 2000. They also lost to the Pacers that year.

Thibodeau has been the Knicks’ coach for five years.

The team's 23 playoff wins the last three seasons are third in the NBA behind only the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets.

When he took over as Knicks' head coach in 2020, the team had not reached the playoffs in the seven previous seasons. 

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, June 3, Knicks President Leon Rose said, "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.

"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."

A native of New Britain, Connecticut, who graduated from Salem State University in Massachusetts, the 67-year-old Thibodeau previously was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls (2010-2016) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2016-2019).