Knicks officially name Thibodeau head coach

The New York Knicks officially announced Tom Thibodeau as the team's new head coach Thursday, making the former Coach of the Year the 31st bench boss in team history.

Thibodeau has a 352-246 (.589) career head coaching record across his stints with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. The 62-year-old was an assistant coach with the Knicks from 1996-2003, serving on the staffs of Jeff Van Gundy and Don Chaney.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to return to this historic franchise as head coach and work alongside a talented front office that I have great trust in and respect for," Thibodeau said in a statement. "I know what New York is like when the Knicks are successful and there is nothing comparable. I look forward to being a part of what we are building here and can’t wait to get to work."

The hire is the first major move by top Knicks executive Leon Rose. The former agent was hired as team president in March, just prior to the suspension of the 2019-20 NBA season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Tom Thibodeau is a proven winner who gets the most out of the players and teams that he has coached," Rose said. "He will bring leadership, accountability, and a hard-working mentality to our organization."

Mike Woodson, who was in the running for the head coach role, is also expected to join the organization in some capacity, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports. The 62-year-old is the most recent Knicks head coach to leave the franchise with a winning record, going 188-109 over parts of three seasons from 2011-14.

The Knicks dismissed David Fizdale in December, promoting Mike Miller to head coach on an interim basis. The team went 17-27 under Miller down the stretch to finish at 21-45 when the season was paused. The Knicks were not among the 22 teams invited to participate in the restart of the NBA season at Disney World.