Tom Thibodeau's Knicks Firing Reportedly was 'Spearheaded' by James Dolan

The surprising Tom Thibodeau dismissal appears to have come from the ownership level.

Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reported that the New York Knicks decision to fire Thibodeau was "spearheaded" by owner James Dolan and that several "key Knicks players" had complaints.

"What was clear was Thibodeau’s firing being spearheaded by Knicks owner James Dolan, sources told Yahoo Sports. Dolan and team president Leon Rose held exit meetings with key Knicks players and the complaints were clear," Goodwill wrote.

Goodwill reported that "A couple of players felt like Thibodeau played the starters too many minutes and felt he had an inability to adjust." One player also told Goodwill that "he didn’t feel like he could play for Thibodeau if the coach returned next season."

Thibodeau had been the Knicks' coach since 2020-21 and went 226-174 overall while leading the team to four playoff appearances.

The 2024-25 Knicks reached the Conference Finals for the first time since 1999-00. This included series victories over a rising Detroit Pistons squad and the defending champion Boston Celtics. New York would fall to the Indiana Pacers in five games in the Conference Finals.

While this appeared to be some steady success for the veteran coach, complaints from players and a shopping spree from the team last offseason could make the loss to the Pacers feel like a disappointing end to the season. That could be why Dolan stepped in and decided to bring a new voice into the locker room.