Apr 20, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York City mayor Eric Adams speaks before the game between New York City FC and D.C. United at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

NYC Mayor Eric Adams Bids Knicks Coach Farewell

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Mayor of New York City took time to thank Tom Thibodeau upon his impeachment from the New York Knicks.

Eric Adams briefly stepped away from his re-election campaign to offer a heartfelt farewell to Thibodeau, whose five-year term at the helm of the Knicks ended on Tuesday.

"Thank you, Tom Thibodeau, for your leadership over the last 5 years, rebuilding the [Knicks] and taking us to our first Eastern Finals in 25 years," Adams, running as an independent, said in an X post shortly after the Knicks confirmed the initial report from Shams Charania of ESPN. "As I always say, 8.5 million New Yorkers, 35 million opinions."

Thank you, Tom Thibodeau, for your leadership over the last 5 years, rebuilding the @nyknicks and taking us to our first Eastern Finals in 25 years.

As I always say, 8.5 million New Yorkers, 35 million opinions. And while every New Yorker may not have agreed with every call, we… https://t.co/7RJ12ZoDyx
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) June 3, 2025

"While every New Yorker may not have agreed with every call, we can all agree you and the team helped bring excitement for the game back to NYC. Thank you, coach."

Thibodeau's tenure no doubt proved polarizing but his positive impact on the Knicks' overall fortunes can't be denied: the Knicks had won just only playoff series in the immediate 19 years prior to Thibodeau's arrival and he wound up leading them to the playoffs in four of his five years at the helm.

Along with Joe Mazzulla of Boston, Thibodeau is one of two coaches to earn at least one series victory in each of the last three editions of the NBA Playoffs and, as Adams mentioned, drove the Knicks to the final four for the first time in a quarter-century. At 226 regular season wins, Thibodeau departs Manhattan as the fourth-winningest coach in franchise history behind Red Holzman, Joe Lapchick, and Jeff Van Gundy.

Thibodeau's firing continues a bit of an alarming trend among New York metropolitan area coaches: the next man the Knicks hire will be the sixth among NYC area teams in the four major professional sports (basketball, baseball, football, hockey) since January 2024 and the second at Madison Square Garden after the New York Rangers booted Peter Laviolette in favor of Mike Sullivan.

Joining the MSG brothers on the former list are the New York Islanders (Patrick Roy), Brooklyn Nets (Jordi Fernandez), New Jersey Devils (Sheldon Keefe), and New York Jets (Aaron Glenn).

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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