The Knicks surprisingly discharged their five-year coach Tom Thibodeau a couple of weeks ago, after he had led the franchise back to the Eastern Conference Finals, heights they had not seen at the Madison Square Garden since 2000, when Patrick Ewing led the Manhattan squad. 

However, ex-his pupils Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart recently went on their podcast “The Roommates Show” to share some love for their former tactician. Both stars gave Thibodeau recognition, even calling him a game changer, who accepted the job when New York was at a low point, and turned them into title contenders.

“He took the job when the Knicks were just bums, like 20 wins,” Hart started out. “He was there for five years. Made the playoffs in four years. First Eastern Conference finals in 25 years. He helped Knicks basketball go back to the top level in the league. He should get a lot of credit for the foundation that he built.”

.@craigcartonlive reacts to Josh Hart coming to Tom Thibodeau's defense ⬇️

"When the guys did their exit interviews over the last couple days, the Villanova guys loved Thibodeau. Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Jalen Brunson. The other guys? Buried him." pic.twitter.com/cswLTog4fo

— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) June 13, 2025

Brunson then added: “Helped me become a two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA. The things he’s done for me, obviously individually, I’m so grateful for. He had a confidence in me that I knew I had, but it’s great to see someone push me to be better.”

A couple of weeks have past since his firing, and the former New York coach holds no grudges, as he took out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times to thank everyone involved in his five years in Manhattan. He took the opportunity to appreciate the players, coaches, staff and fans.

Wednesday morning’s newspaper opened with a black-and-white ad, featuring a photo of Tom standing on Madison Square Garden’s sidelines with a powerful message, “To the best city in the world with the best fans in the world: Thank you.”

Thibodeau had first started out as an assistant with the Knicks under Jeff Van Gundy in the 90s, and finally hired for his “dream job” in 2020, as he cheered for this team since he was a child. It was team president Leon Rose who placed his trust in him to become the head coach.

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