Alleged Reason Behind Tom Thibodeau's Firing by Knicks Revealed in New Report

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 3:33 PM ET

The New York Knicks made the conference finals this year for the first time since 2000. They were two wins away from making the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

However, Tom Thibodeau was still fired as head coach on Tuesday despite going 226-174 in the regular season and 24-23 in the playoffs and winning the 2021 Coach of the Year Award.

The Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals in six games. Thibodeau and Co. lost Games 1 and 2 at home at MSG.

The Game 1 loss was brutal, as New York blew a 14-point lead with under three minutes remaining in regulation.

According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Knicks president Leon Rose met with several key players before firing Thibodeau. The consensus was that Thibodeau couldn't lead New York to the promised land.

"He got outcoached," a league source familiar with the situation told ESPN. "The Game 1 collapse was insane. If they don't have that collapse, who knows what happens."

Thibodeau is 578-420 in the regular season and 48-55 in the postseason with the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves and Knicks. He’s owed over $30 million from New York.

Thibodeau, who has won the Coach of the Year Award twice, has never coached a team to the NBA Finals.

“But the decision to replace Thibodeau, one source told ESPN, had been trending in that direction for months," Shelburne wrote. "The team simply wasn’t maximizing its talent, despite having two All-NBA players in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

"And after meeting with the select group of players and coaches this week, sources said, it was clear to Rose that the organization needed a new voice.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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