Knicks Make Mike Brown Hire Official

The New York Knicks officially like MIke to lead them into the future.

The franchise officially crowned Mike Brown the 32nd head coach in its storied history on Monday, confirming the news originally reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. Brown takes over for the ousted Tom Thibodeau after the latter's five seasons at the helm.

"Mike has coached on the biggest stages in our sport and brings championship pedigree to our organization," Knicks president Leon Rose in a statement. "His experience leading the bench during the NBA Finals, winning four titles as an assistant coach, and his ability to grow and develop players will all help us as we aim to bring a championship to New York for our fans."

"Leon and our staff ran a thorough and thoughtful process that led our organization to Mike," added Knicks owner James Dolan. "I'm pleased to see him on the sideline for us next season."

While the Knicks did not reveal contract details, SNY's Ian Begley reported that Brown has signed a four-year, $40 million deal as New York looks to build upon its first Eastern Conference Finals showing in a quarter-century.

Brown is fresh off a two-plus season tenure with the Sacramento Kings, notably ending the team's lengthy playoff drought with a 48-win campaign in 2022-23 that yielded Coach of the Year honors, his second such title after previously earning the 2009 award with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In addition to his head coaching affairs in Cleveland and Sacramento, Brown was briefly the top man for the Los Angeles Lakers and also four rings as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs (2003) and Golden State Warriors (2017-18, 2022).

Of note, Brown oversaw most of the run to the 2017 title, which saw the Warriors post a 16-1 record, the best single-postseason winning percentage in NBA history. Golden State was a perfect 12-0 with Brown at the helm after Steve Kerr was forced to step aside for medical reasons.