A native of New York City, the 72-year-old Pitino is no stranger to the Knicks. He was an assistant coach in New York from 1983-85 and led the Knicks from 1987-89. He left after two seasons with a 90-74 record and consecutive appearances in the NBA playoffs.

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino, who served as both an assistant coach and head coach for the New York Knicks in the 1980s, offered his thoughts on the organization's decision to fire Tom Thibodeau after a run to the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2024-25 season.

Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks ended up losing a hard-fought series in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers last week. It was an incredibly entertaining series, but the Knicks simply did not have enough to pull out the win.

Active NBA Player Pitched by Expert as Possible Knicks Coach After Tom Thibodeau Firing originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Knicks are officially in the market for a new head coach despite winning 50 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in three decades.