This NBA season brought the very best out of the best teams in the league. And the New York Knicks were no different.
While we saw a surge in performance from the underdogs, a couple of teams got the attention for varied reasons.
The Knicks had an impressive season, making it to the conference finals for the first time since 2000. Although they ultimately lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games.
The team, under head coach Tom Thibodeau, played with great effort and skill. They defeated both the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics to reach the finals.
Despite the successful season, the Knicks made the surprising decision to fire Thibodeau. Speculation surrounds the role of Karl-Anthony Towns in this decision.
According to NBA Central on X(formerly Twitter), “An anonymous NBA executive believes Karl-Anthony Towns may have played a role in Tom Thibodeau’s firing.”
“Who was on the Timberwolves when Thibs got fired in 2019? Who is KAT’s former agent (Leon Rose, who is now the president of the Knicks)? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if KAT told Leon and (James) Dolan during his exit interview that he didn’t want to play for Thibs anymore,” the NBA Exec said.
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An anonymous NBA executive believes Karl-Anthony Towns may have played a role in Tom Thibodeau’s firing
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 5, 2025
“Who was on the Timberwolves when Thibs got fired in 2019? Who is KAT’s former agent (Leon Rose, who is now the president of the Knicks)? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if KAT… pic.twitter.com/2RGRArGBmD
The NBA executive suggested that Towns may have expressed concerns about continuing to play under Thibodeau during his exit interview. This relationship seems strained, as Thibodeau is known for valuing strong defensive play, an area where Towns has reportedly struggled.
And even if this is a hypothetical situation, things still make sense, pointing at Towns’ involvement in the whole process.
Karl-Anthony Towns Shares Social Media Post After Knicks Fire Tom Thibodeau
While many still wholeheartedly doubt that Karl-Anthony Towns must have played a role in Tom Thibodeau’s firing, he shows up with something else.
Towns recently had a heartfelt reaction to the surprising news that Knicks coach Thibodeau was fired following the team’s exit from the Eastern Conference Finals.
Towns took to his Instagram Stories to share a smiling photo of himself with Thibodeau while the duo was sitting on a bench.
This all came just days after the Knicks made the big announcement that they were letting Thibodeau go after five seasons.
It was a bittersweet moment, especially after the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. Towns expressed his disappointment at not being able to bring a championship opportunity to the city.
Despite a quieter performance in the season-ending Game 6, where he scored 22 points, he remained hopeful.
We’ll see what they will have for their run for the championship glory next season.
