Knicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after five seasons

The New York Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday after five seasons and four playoff appearances.

The move announced by team president Leon Rose comes three days after a season-ending Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, the farthest the Knicks had advanced in the postseason in 25 years.

"Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans," Rose said. "This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction.

"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."

Thibodeau, 67, compiled a 226-174 (.565) record in the regular season, including a 51-31 finish this season. He was 24-23 in the playoffs with New York.

In July 2024, Thibodeau signed a three-year extension through 2027-28 that was worth a reported $10 million to $11 million per season.

Thibodeau previously coached the Chicago Bulls (2010-15) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2016-19) and owns a career record of 578-420 (.579) in the regular season and 48-55 (.466) in the playoffs. He was named the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2010-11 and 2020-21.

He is two shy of becoming the 35th head coach in NBA history with 1,000 games.

--Field Level Media