The New York Knicks and coach Tom Thibodeau have agreed to a three-year contract extension, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
This is no surprise given how the Knicks have become a contender under Thbodeau, giving their fans their first glimpses of a title in a long, long time.
“Thibodeau, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, has been at the forefront of a franchise resurgence that includes a No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs after a 50-32 mark last season,” Wojnarowski wrote. “The Knicks return a team with higher expectations and expect to compete with the Eastern Conference elite.”
New York won just one playoff series between 2001 and 2022, per Woj, but have reached the Eastern Conference semifinals in each of the past two seasons. Thibodeau, 66, has guided the Knicks to a 173-145 overall record in five seasons.
Thibodeau spent five seasons as coach of the Chicago Bulls and three more with the Minnesota Timberwolves before coming to New York. He is 527-389 in 13 seasons overall.
This past season, New York suffered multiple injuries to key starters, including power forward Julius Randle and small forward OG Anunoby. Also, All-Star guard Jalen Brunson was forced to exit the Knicks’ Game 7 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the East semis this past season.
New York and Thibodeau had been talking about a contract extension as early as March, per reports.
“Thibodeau’s hiring as Knicks head coach in 2020 was a full-circle moment in his life. Growing up in New Britain, Connecticut, his father, Thomas Sr., became a Knicks fan because Eddie Donovan — the coach at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University — left the school to become coach and GM of the Knicks,” Wojnarowski wrote.
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