Donte DiVincenzo Reportedly Stood Up Against Wolves Teammates Amid Tom Thibodeau Disrespect

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 7:00 AM ET

There was a weird interaction between Donte DiVincenzo and the New York Knicks coaches during last year's preseason games. Before preseason even began, the Knicks traded DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While he was a fan favorite, management took the chance to acquire All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns.

During their preseason game, the fans and the media thought there was some bad blood between DiVincenzo and assistant coach Rick Brunson. The two had a verbal exchange while the player was on the court. Later on, the 2021 champion confirmed that there was no feud between them and that he was talking to then-head coach Tom Thibodeau.

It turns out that the former Knicks guard revered the head coach. That is, according to what The Athletic's Fred Katz said.

DiVincenzo Defended Tom Thibodeau From an Anonymous Player's Poll

Katz explained that Thibodeau often receives votes in The Athletic’s annual anonymous player poll—specifically, when players are asked, ‘which coach would you least like to play for?’

Due to his reputation for giving players extensive amounts of minutes on the floor, most players have strong opinions against him. This is also the reason why he gets voted for by most players.

Katz revealed that DiVincenzo followed some of the reporters of The Athletic when they collected data in Minnesota.

“And when it got to the coach question, Donte would be like, ‘You (expletive). You better not say Tom Thibodeau, he’s the (expletive) best.’ Like he was gatekeeping Thibs like that guy loves Thibs.”

"'You motherf*cker. You better not say Tom Thibodeau. He's the f*cking best'"

— Donte DiVincenzo to Wolves teammates taking worst coach poll, per Fred Katz

"Donte loves Thibs more than either of us love our own mothers. It's crazy" pic.twitter.com/1kGuTLEul6
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) August 22, 2025

Although the 6-foot-4 guard only played for Thibodeau for just one year, he still has the utmost respect for the longtime coach. With Thibs, DiVincenzo had the best year of his career. He averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He was also one of the best players for the Knicks that year, giving energy and spark off the bench.

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

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