{"id":2302,"date":"2026-06-17T19:38:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T19:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2302"},"modified":"2026-06-17T19:38:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T19:38:46","slug":"tom-thibodeau-still-hurt-by-knicks-firing-despite-happiness-for-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2302","title":{"rendered":"Tom Thibodeau ‘still hurt’ by Knicks firing despite happiness for players"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The sting of Tom Thibodeau\u2019s firing still lingers.<\/p>\n

Thibodeau, fired in June 2025 after coaching the Knicks for five seasons, told The Athletic before the 2025-26 season he was deeply wounded and \u201chad a sense of betrayal\u201d as he felt he\u2019d helped certain people in the organization who didn\u2019t return his loyalty.<\/p>\n

Read more Daveigh Chase, star of \u2018The Ring\u2019 and \u2018Lilo & Stitch,\u2019 dead at 35<\/a><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the outlet reported that a friend of the coach said he is \u201cgenuinely very happy for the players and his guys\u201d for winning a title \u2014 but some less-happy feelings still linger.<\/p>\n

\u201cTom is still hurt that the decision-makers made it appear he needed to be replaced,\u201d the anonymous friend told The Athletic. <\/p>\n

Taj Gibson, who played under Thibodeau with the Bulls and Knicks, said during a SirusXM NBA Radio appearance on Sunday that ill-will was not among the emotions the coach was going through, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to Thibs (Saturday) and the first thing we talked about was that he had no malice in his heart, he didn\u2019t have any kind of hatred,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cHe was so happy for the guys, he was just really proud of the guys for what they accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knicks owner James Dolan and president Leon Rose moved on from Thibodeau due to his inability to get the team to the next level, but also due to a lack of collaboration with with the front office.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump jokingly reveals whom he\u2019ll blame if Iran deal goes sideways: \u2018You better be careful\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

But even though Thibodeau\u2019s time in New York ran its course after the Knicks lost to the Pacers 4-2 in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, he\u2019s one of the key factors in the team\u2019s return to relevance.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Before he was hired in 2020, the Knicks weren\u2019t an attractive landing spot for free agents, had missed the playoffs in sevens straight seasons and hadn\u2019t won 30 games since 2017-18. <\/p>\n

Thibodeau immediately established a defensive, gritty identity with the Knicks, guiding them to a 226-174 regular season record in five seasons and winning four playoff series in his final three years. <\/p>\n

Mike Brown then replaced Thibodeau in July 2025 and ultimately led the Knicks to their first title in 53 years in his first season.<\/p>\n

Read more US-Iran deal signing ceremony in doubt, 14-point plan to be sealed \u2018remotely\u2019 in next 48 hours<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After Tom Thibodeau was fired by the Knicks in June 2025, The Athletic reported he felt wounded and betrayed by the decision but was happy for his players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,63,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-nba-finals","category-new-york-knicks"],"yoast_head":"\nTom Thibodeau 'still hurt' by Knicks firing despite happiness for players - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2302\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tom Thibodeau 'still hurt' by Knicks firing despite happiness for players - 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