Knicks' Leon Rose reflects on replacing Tom Thibodeau with Mike Brown

At the time, New York Knicks team president Leon Rose choosing to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau in early June 2025 was a controversial move that was criticized by pockets of fans and media members. 

Of course, the decision worked out quite well for Rose, as replacement Mike Brown ultimately guided the Knicks to their first NBA title since 1973. During a recent chat with 2026 NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and New York's Josh Hart for an episode of their "Roommates Show," Rose discussed moving on from Thibodeau roughly 12 months ago. 

Leon Rose: Firing Tom Thibodeau was a "tough" decision

"It was tough," Rose acknowledged, per Colin Martin of SNY. "Thibs is a great coach. Did so much for the organization. We were right on the doorstep. Just felt that, just needed a change in voice, a change in philosophy. It was a tough move."

Under Thibodeau, the Knicks earned 50 regular-season wins in back-to-back campaigns and made the franchise's first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years. Thus, some understandably felt last spring that the Knicks were simply a few offseason moves away from possibly winning a championship with Thibodeau leading the charge. 

Meanwhile, Brown had earned four NBA championship rings during stints as an assistant coach throughout his lengthy career. Nevertheless, many outsiders said last summer that the Knicks "settled" when they hired Brown. 

Why Leon Rose chose Mike Brown over others

"First of all, just his openness and his willingness to share ideas," Rose said about choosing Brown over other available candidates. "And share ideas with the front office, his staff and the inclusion of everyone. I think you guys probably saw that. He really was open to things, open to people’s suggestions, open to ideas. I believe that’s what led to some of the changes that were made throughout the season. We started out a certain way. He may have had an idea about how something was gonna work and how he wanted it to work, but he kind of evolved throughout the season, as did our team. I think that all went into the fact that we went into another gear in the playoffs."

The Knicks dropped two of the first three games of their first-round playoff series versus the Atlanta Hawks. From there, New York won 15 of 16 contests en route to becoming world champions. 

As Scott Davis of Sports Illustrated noted, "Brown’s flexibility and willingness to go outside of his rotations paid off" throughout the postseason tournament. Brown will now forever be viewed as a Knicks icon among fans who are still celebrating what the team was able to accomplish this spring.