While the New York Knicks have already set their sights toward the future with a fresh face at the helm, Tom Thibodeau wanted to play the hits one last time.
The latest former Knicks head coach took out an ad in The New York Times, as well as posting to some recently created social media accounts, to share some heartfelt words for the Knicks organization, fans, and New York City as a whole:
“To the best city in the world with the best fans in the world: Thank you,” Thibodeau wrote in his first public statement since being relieved of his head coaching duties on June 3.
“When I was hired in 2020, I said this was my dream job. I am grateful that dream became a reality. Thank you to our players and coaching staff who gave everything they had, and to everyone who makes this franchise special. I am proud of everything we accomplished together, including four playoff appearances and this year’s run to the Eastern Conference finals — our first in 25 years.”
Thibodeau’s abrupt departure from New York left many around the NBA, not just Knicks fans, floored, after he led the team to their first Eastern Conference Finals since the 2000 season. He did so while overcoming some pretty steep odds, yet he and his squad ultimately succumbed to the Indiana Pacers in six games.
“And to the fans, thank you for believing in me and embracing me from day one. Watching you support our team, and seeing the Garden ignite with that incomparable Knicks energy, is something I will never forget.”
During his five seasons in New York, Thibodeau achieved the fourth most wins of all time by a Knicks head coach with 226, narrowly passing Pat Riley (223) and behind Jeff Van Gundy (248), Joe Lapchick (573), and Red Holzman (613).
It’s safe to assume that the 67-year-old coach, who began his head coaching career at the age of 25 and infamously broke off an engagement to dedicate his life to the game of basketball, will be pursuing yet another job as the leading man for an NBA team.
A better question would be, where is that going to be? Even further, has the constantly evolving state of the NBA finally passed him by?
For what it’s worth, Tom Thibodeau has never spent more than a year in coaching purgatory after being let go from a job.
He also clearly has a partiality for the pros, having never returned to coaching at the collegiate level since leaving Harvard’s bench to join the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves in 1989.
