Former NBA champion implores Knicks to hire him as HC

Metta World Peace. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Former NBA champion implores Knicks to hire him as head coach

By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 10:53 PM ET

On Saturday, the New York Knicks fell just short in their quest for an NBA championship. Despite it being their deepest run in decades, the franchise decided to make some drastic changes.

On Tuesday, reports emerged that the Knicks dismissed Tom Thibodeau from his duties as head coach. This ends a five-year run with the franchise where he posted a 226-174 record in the regular season and a 24-23 record in the postseason.

Given the current state of the Knicks, it is sure to be a coveted job, considering the team was two wins away from the NBA Finals.

As of now, there has only been speculation about names New York might target in the coming weeks to replace Thibodeau. One former player, however took to social media to throw his hat in the ring.

Shortly after the news of Thibodeau's dismissal, Metta World Peace gave his thoughts on the situation. The former champion made an elongated post about why he feels he is the perfect candidate for the job.

Metta is the perfect choice for head coach of the @nyknicks . Since 1999 this was suppose to happen. I’ve never ran from the city. When all the top players left NYC because it was hard , I went to @StJohnsBBall . I wanted to be drafted by the Knicks, I seemed to be the only one…
— Coach Metta (@MettaWorld37) June 3, 2025

This would be a homecoming for multiple reasons. For starters, the former Ron Artest is a New York native with deep roots in the city. Also, the Knicks were one of his numerous stops in his NBA career. The former Defensive Player of the Year appeared in 29 games with the team in 2014 before eventually going to play overseas.

Having spent 17 years in the league, he has a lot of experience in the league. He also understands what it takes to win at the highest level, as he won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010.

While there have been cases in the past where former players have quickly made the jump to head coach, that likely won't be the case. Though he does have an impressive list of accolades from his playing days, his track record off the court isn't the greatest. Because of this, the Knicks are almost certain to go in a different direction.

Given that the team is fresh off a conference finals appearance and wants to contend now, it makes the most sense for the Knicks to seek out an experienced coach to help get them over the hump.

Kevin McCormick

Kevin McCormick is a basketball writer for Yardbarker with years of experience in the journalism field. Based out of Philadelphia, he graduated from Holy Family University with a degree in Sports Management in 2019. Since then, Kevin has gone on to build a career in sports writing

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