Knicks fire Thibodeau after best run in 25 years

The New York Knicks are firing head coach Tom Thibodeau, the team announced on Tuesday.

Thibodeau helped the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, made the playoff in four of his five years and led the team to consecutive 50-win seasons for first time since the 1990s.

"Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans," team president Leon Rose said in a statement. "This pursuit led us to the 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.

"... Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future."

The Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs following a loss in Game 6 Thursday to the Indiana Pacers. After that game, team captain Jalen Brunson expressed his support for Thibodeau. Starting guard Josh Hart post on X that he was "forever grateful" to Thibodeau after the news broke.

The Knicks had just extended Thibodeau last summer on a deal that took him through the 2027-28 season. He finishes his time in New York with the fourth-most wins by a coach in franchise history.

New York was the veteran coach's third head-coaching stop in the NBA, including time with the Chicago Bulls (2010-2015) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (2016-2019).

He has a .579 career win percentage as a head coach, the highest by any coach without a Finals appearance in NBA history (minimum 300 games coached), according to ESPN Research.