Jalen Brunson reacts for the first time following Knicks’ shocking dismissal of Tom Thibodeau

Since the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau, their star player Jalen Brunson has remained silent on the departure of his head coach since 2020. This past weekend, Brunson appeared to break his silence without saying a single word on the matter.

On Sunday, Brunson posted a photo showing himself and Thibodeau at courtside during a Knicks game. The 2025 Clutch Player of the Year captioned this pic with a white heart emoji and a finger heart emoji.

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Right after the Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Brunson was more verbal in his support for Thibodeau. When asked by a reporter if Thibodeau was the coach that could take the Knicks to "the next level," the two-time All-Star gave an exasperated answer.

"Is that a real question right now?" Brunson asked. "You just asked me if I believe that he's the right guy. Yes. Come on." [Timestamp - 0:15]

To emphasize his disbelief at the question, Brunson promptly put his microphone down and rose from his chair.

Backing up Brunson's sentiments at that moment was a report published in The Athletic after the Knicks' season ended. According to writers James Edwards III and Fred Katz, the two-time Coach of the Year had "full buy-in from Brunson," as well as "the backing of team president Leon Rose."

Edwards and Katz added that, in the Knicks hierarchy, owner James Dolan had the final say on decisions like the dismissal of Thibodeau. Though Dolan has decided to go in a different direction as far as the head coaching position goes, it's clear that Brunson cherishes the time he spent as Thibodeau's protege.

NBA insider: Tom Thibodeau's heavy usage of Jalen Brunson "raised concerns"

Though Brunson has voiced out his loyalty to Thibodeau, Brunson's heavy usage might have been a red flag for some parties within the Knicks organization.

In an ESPN article last Wednesday, NBA insider Ramona Shelburne cited Thibodeau's reliance on Brunson as a sticking point in the head coaching situation.

"Brunson's usage, which under Thibodeau has been the highest of his career, raised concerns," Shelburne wrote. "One league source suggested history could serve as a warning precedent -- that Brunson, who missed games this season because of ankle and calf injuries, would struggle to hold up long term without a more layered or balanced offensive system."

Shelburne also mentioned the fears that Brunson would run into the same fate as Derrick Rose, whose career was derailed by severe injuries during Thibodeau's stint as head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

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About the author

Simoun Victor Redoblado

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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