The New York Knicks have issued a statement confirming their decision to fire coach Tom Thibodeau.
Knicks president Leon Rose explained the decision to let Thibodeau just after he guided the team to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
The franchise's official X account sent a tweet thanking Thibodeau, then followed it up with a statement from Rose.
His comments are below:
Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult 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. He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories. Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.
Thibodeau's firing has shocked the NBA, so the Knicks had better have someone great lined up to replace him.
In five seasons leading New York, the 67-year-old went 226–174 (.565) and had the team in the playoffs in four of his five seasons. The Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in a hard-fought Eastern Conference finals, ultimately bowing out with a 4–2 series defeat.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Knicks’ Full Statement Explaining Firing of Tom Thibodeau.
