Major Update in New York Knicks’ Head Coaching Search Emerges

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Svyato Rovenchuk | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 12:42 PM ET

The New York Knicks have to be pretty used to rejection by now. The team has attempted to contact several NBA teams to interview their coaches and have been rejected time and time again.

The Knicks requested to interview four active NBA head coaches: Jason Kidd, Chris Finch, Ime Udoka, and Quin Snyder. The Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, and Atlanta Hawks all told New York to kick rocks.

After all of those interview requests were rejected, the Knicks have started to fixate on names that do not require the approval of another team. Two coaches, in particular, have been linked to New York recently.

According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown will both be interviewing for the Knicks' head coaching vacancy next week. They are considered the 'leading candidates.'

These should be two coaches that NBA fans are largely familiar with. The former of the two will be the one more fresh in everyone's minds.

Jenkins was unexpectedly fired by the Memphis Grizzlies before the conclusions of their 2024-25 NBA season. The Grizzlies opted to give the reins to Tuomas Iisalo instead, who went from the interim coach to the full-time replacement.

Jenkins has a 250-214 coaching record in the regular season during his team as the lead bench boss. The former Grizzlies coach enjoyed two 50-win seasons and three trips to the postseason with Memphis.

The Grizzlies never quite delivered playoff success during Jenkins' time in Memphis. The Knicks coaching candidate has a 9-14 record in the postseason.

Brown is notable for his head coaching stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings. He was also fired in the 2024-25 NBA season, putting an end to his time in Sacramento.

Both names here bring familiarity. However, it is easily debatable if either represents a significant upgrade over recently-fired Tom Thibodeau.

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

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