The New York Knicks will look for a new coach this offseason after deciding to let go of Tom Thibodeau. The team announced that Thibodeau is no longer their head coach, just days after they were eliminated from the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tom Thibodeau coached the New York Knicks to a strong 51-31 record in the 2024-25 season. They finished second in the Atlantic Division and were the third seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons 4-2 in the first round and then upset the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the semifinals. However, they were stopped by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, losing that series 4-2.
Thibodeau took the Knicks to the playoffs in four out of his five seasons. Just last year, he signed a three-year contract extension. During his time with the team, he had an overall record of 226 wins and 174 losses. The 2024-25 season was his most successful.
Although the Knicks didn’t win the championship, they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. It was a big step forward, even if it fell short of their ultimate goal.
Before the season began, the team showed they were serious about winning. They traded for Mikal Bridges in the summer and made a huge preseason trade to bring in All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. With Jalen Brunson leading the way, they had a strong starting lineup.
But even with all these moves, the Knicks couldn’t go all the way.
They were knocked out by the Pacers again, leaving New York without a title since 1973. Still, reaching the conference finals was a sign of progress after years of early playoff exits. The team and fans could feel they were finally getting closer to a championship.
While the Celtics came into the season as the favorites after winning the 2024 title and keeping all their key players, the Knicks weren’t backing down. Since team president Leon Rose took over in 2020, the team had steadily improved.
They gave OG Anunoby the biggest contract in team history, then sent five first-round picks to Brooklyn to get Bridges. Just before the season started, they made another bold move—trading All-Star Julius Randle and sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota for Towns.
These aggressive trades helped them beat the Celtics in the playoffs, but the Pacers’ fast and deep team proved too much once again.
“We made big moves to win, so it’s painful not to bring a title to the city,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We have a great group of players in that locker room. Now the goal is to get back to this point next season—and this time, finish the job.”