The New York Knicks have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after five seasons. Who are the top candidates to become the next head coach? View the odds below.
Knicks Fire Tom Thibodeau
BREAKING: The New York Knicks are relieving Tom Thibodeau of his duties as head coach, sources tell ESPN. Thibodeau led the Knicks to their first East Finals in 25 years, made playoffs in 4 of 5 years and led Knicks to consecutive 50+ win seasons for first time since the 1990s. pic.twitter.com/B7w8KhoEcF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 3, 2025
Despite leading the organization to their first conference finals in 25 years, the Knicks parted ways with Thibodeau.
The move comes days after the Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers in six games to lose the Eastern Conference finals.
“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” team president Leon Rose said in a statement. “This pursuit led us to the decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction. We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach.”
Thibodeau completely transformed the Knicks into a playoff contender in his five seasons. Thibodeau led the Knicks to a 41-31 record and brought New York to the postseason (2020-2021) for the first time since 2012–13. Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year.
The 67-year-old led the Knicks to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time in 30 years. Thibodeau ranks fourth all-time in Knicks’ history with 226 wins.
The team overachieved this season, beating the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics in the first two rounds.
However, the Knicks failed to gel offensively at times, and the defense only got worse as the year progressed. Thibodeau has been criticized for his failure to trust the bench, rely on his starters to play huge minutes, and never experiment with different lineups during the regular season.
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) June 3, 2025
Knicks Next Head Coach Odds
The way the Knicks conducted their season-end review of the organization was different than normal, as “top players” on the roster were called in to meetings that owner James Dolan was also present at, says @IanBegley
Eventually, those reviews led to the Knicks deciding to move… pic.twitter.com/Z7Aitholrr
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) June 3, 2025
With Thibodeau out, who will become the next head coach of the New York Knicks?
Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone (+100) is the favorite on BetOnline. Malone won a championship with the Nuggets in 2023.
However, Malone has a similar coaching style to Thibodeau, where he tends to play more veterans over younger players.
Jay Wright (+150) is currently a college basketball analyst for CBS. However, Wright won two national championships with Villanova basketball and coached Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges.
The name to watch out for is Johnnie Bryant (+4000). Bryant was the associate head coach under Thibodeau with the Knicks (2020-2024) before taking the same role with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2024-present).
Bryant, who has a strong relationship with Rose, is a rumored finalist for the Phoenix Suns head coaching position.
| New York Knicks Head Coach | Odds |
|---|---|
| Michael Malone | +100 |
| Jay Wright | +150 |
| Jeff Van Gundy | +600 |
| Chris Quinn | +700 |
| Taylor Jenkins | +800 |
| Danny Hurley | +900 |
| Rick Brunson | +1200 |
| Mike Brown | +1400 |
| Mark Jackson | +1600 |
| Steve Nash | +2200 |
| James Borrego | +3300 |
| Johnnie Bryant | +4000 |
| John Calipari | +4500 |
| Mike Budenholzer | +5000 |
| Mike D’Antoni | +5000 |
| Sam Cassell | +6600 |
