Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart express fondness for former coach Tom Thibodeau

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Jalen Brunson is still expressing love for his former head coach.

Brunson addressed reporters Tuesday for the first time since the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau over the summer. Naturally, questions about Thibodeau, whom Brunson has known since he was a small child, followed.

“I think obviously it’s sad to see a man I’ve known for a long time part ways with this organization,” Brunson said. “But he’s meant a lot to me. I’ve expressed that to him, publicly and personally. Yeah, he’s meant a lot to my career up to this point.”

The Knicks fired Thibodeau in June, only days after their season ended in the Eastern Conference finals, the franchise’s longest playoff run in 25 years.

On Tuesday, the team convened for media day, the official start to the 2025-26 season — and the players’ first opportunity to answer questions about the organization’s switch from Thibodeau to Mike Brown.

“Obviously, I love Thibs,” Josh Hart said. “I’m always gonna have love for Thibs, for the things that he helped me with and putting me in a position to get paid. So I always got love for him. Hope he’s doing well right now. But obviously, we have Mike and we’re extremely excited about what he brings to the table offensively and defensively.”

The Knicks hired Mike Brown, who most recently led the Sacramento Kings from 2022 to 2024, in July. Brown was also head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers from 2011 to 2012 and the Cavs again for the 2013-14 season.

“I think just anybody being in a situation losing their job — I’m a human first always, so (I) feel for someone going through that,” Mikal Bridges said of Thibodeau. “It’s always tough. And I always appreciate Thibs here. Great guy, everything. So, just always felt for him. And Mike, just hearing things about him and being around him — great guy and everything and excited to have him here.”

The Knicks won 51 games last season before an unexpected run to the conference finals, which included a second-round upset of the defending-champion Boston Celtics before losing to the Indiana Pacers. They enter this season as one of the East’s top two favorites, with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Obviously, there’s gonna be a little bit of a feeling-out process, but we’re excited,” Hart said. “We’re excited for what this team has, what this team can be.”

Both the Knicks and Cavaliers bring back similar cores. All of New York’s top seven rotation players are returning, a change from last season, when the franchise traded for Bridges over the summer and then dealt for All-NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns during training camp.

“It’s going to be a fun year, man. We’ve got a great team,” Towns said when asked about the coaching change. “Everyone’s coming back feeling good about themselves and had a good summer of work. We’re going to do everything possible to be the best version of ourselves every single night.”

Brown’s presence will come with adjustments.

He declined to name a starting lineup Tuesday during his season-opening news conference. The first unit in 2024-25 included Brunson, Bridges, Towns, Hart and OG Anunoby, though Thibodeau swapped out Hart for Mitchell Robinson during the series against the Pacers.

Brown has harped on the offense playing faster, as well.

How different will life be with Brown stepping into Thibodeau’s former role?

“I can’t speak on that yet because I truly don’t know,” Towns said. “But what I can say is that I know our team is unified and our team has the continuity needed to achieve great things.”

(Photo of Jalen Brunson and Tom Thibodeau: Mike Stobe / Getty Images)