Brunson sad to see Thibodeau go: 'He meant a lot to me'

Jalen Brunson voiced his gratitude to former New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who the club dismissed this offseason following a run to the East finals.

"It's sad to see a man I've known for a long time part ways with this organization," Brunson told reporters Tuesday at Knicks media day, per SNY. "He's meant a lot to me. I've expressed that to him publicly and personally. He's meant a lot to my career.

Brunson joined the Knicks in July 2022 during Thibodeau's third season at the helm. The Villanova product blossomed under Thibodeau's tutelage, earning his first two All-Star selections and All-NBA nods.

Brunson averaged a career-high 28.7 points in 2023-24 en route to finishing fifth in MVP voting. The 29-year-old was eighth in the Association in assists (7.3 per contest) last season. He also captured Clutch Player of the Year honors, tallying a league-leading 5.6 points when the score was within five points in the final five minutes.

Brunson led New York to its first East finals since 2000, registering 29.4 points and seven assists per contest during the 2025 playoffs. However, the Knicks fell in six games to the Indiana Pacers, and the loss has lingered in Brunson's head.

"Obviously, you think about it," Brunson said of the season-ending defeat, per SNY. "It's always good to have short-term memory to focus on what's going on ahead and figure out how you can be better.

"You can learn from the things in the past. But it's definitely not something easy to just get over."