Knicks find new leader after playoff pain
The New York Knicks sacked Tom Thibodeau after being knocked out of the playoffs. Now it seems they have found his successor.
The New York Knicks are poised to hire Mike Brown as their next head coach, according to ESPN sources. Brown, 55, is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year with a career head coaching record of 454–304.
The 55-year-old was most recently in charge of the Sacramento Kings, leading them to end their 16‑year playoff drought in the 2022–23 season and earning Coach of the Year honours before being jettisoned mid‑way through the following campaign after a poor run of games.
ESPN report that Brown, despite his record, was not first choice. The media outlet says that the Knicks requested permission to speak “with five NBA head coaches and were denied, then interviewed several available coaches and went through multi-round stages with candidates" before landing on the Ohio native. It was reported that some of the coaches on the list were: Jason Kidd, Chris Finch, and Ime Udoka; Brown was the only coaching candidate to interview for the Knicks’ job multiple times, say ESPN.
BREAKING: The New York Knicks are expected to land on two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown as the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/LOXb74LFe4
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2025
Brown began his NBA journey in 1992 with the Denver Nuggets before receiving his first head coaching appointment in June 2005, replacing Brendan Malone as head coach of the Cavaliers. In 2011, Brown had a short stint as head coach of the Lakers but was dismissed early on. The Golden State Warriors came calling three years later and Brown was a key part of their dynasty-building era, contributing to NBA championships in 2017, 2018, and 2022. After a stint at the Kings, he was coach of the Nigerian men’s national basketball team, leading them at the Tokyo Olympics.
Brown will, should the deal go through, succeed Tom Thibodeau, who was dismissed in early June despite overseeing back-to-back 50-win seasons and the franchise’s first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years.
It will be a hugely enticing task for Brown, who will lead a Knicks side that finished the regular season with one of the best offences in the league, ending the campaign as the No. 5 team in offensive efficiency before going into the NBA Playoffs with the No. 3 seed.
Only 7 coaches in NBA history with 700+ games have a higher winning percentage than Mike Brown (.599):
— SleeperKnicks (@SleeperKnicks) July 2, 2025
Phil Jackson (.704)⁰Billy Cunningham (.698)⁰K.C. Jones (.674)⁰Red Auerbach (.661)⁰Steve Kerr (.648)⁰Pat Riley (.636)⁰Gregg Popovich (.624)
ELITE.
(H/T @Top5LovesNY) pic.twitter.com/gEezMLqEUX
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