The New York Knicks made waves on Tuesday afternoon when they fired head coach Tom Thibodeau just three days after the team's elimination from the 2025 playoffs.
Considering the Knicks had just made their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years, the news certainly came as a surprise ... at least to some. Thibs had his shortcomings, sure, but he made the postseason four times during his five-year tenure, and led the Knicks to consecutive 50+ win seasons for the first time since the '90s.
Now, his firing caps another volatile year on the NBA coaching carousel, which also saw changes at the helm for the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and more.
Speaking at Yankee Stadium before throwing the first pitch on Wednesday night, St. John's Red Storm guru and college basketball legend Rick Pitino showed some sympathy for his fellow N.Y.C. coach.
"I feel bad for Thibs because he captured all of New York, built something very, very special," Pitino said when asked how he felt about the move. "A lot of us don't comprehend what happened, but Thibs is going to be well taken care of and he'll move on to other pastures."
As for whether it was a mistake on the front office's part, "only time tells with those things," Pitino went on. "So we'll see."
A judicious response. Take a peek at that below:
Rick Pitino says he "feels bad" for Tom Thibodeau
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) June 4, 2025
"He captured all of New York and captured something very, very special. A lot of us don't comprehend what happened, but Thibs is going to be well taken care of" pic.twitter.com/AZlUBGQUBg
In a statement explaining the firing, team president Leon Rose said the Knicks' singular pursuit of a championship guided their decision.
"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," Rose wrote. "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."
In his time in New York, the 67-year-old Thibodeau went 226-174 across five seasons, with a 24-23 record in the playoffs. And though he'd surely rather have a job right now, he should have no difficulty securing another gig here soon.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rick Pitino 'Feels Bad' For Tom Thibodeau After Knicks Firing.
