NBA: New York Knicks Reportedly Hire Mike Brown As New Head Coach

The New York Knicks have concluded their search for a new head coach, as multiple outlets reported Wednesday the team has agreed to a deal with two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown.

Brown, a four-time NBA champion as an assistant coach, will take over the vacancy created by the Knicks' surprising firing of Tom Thibodeau shortly after their loss to the Indiana Pacers in this year's Eastern Conference finals.

The 55-year-old Brown owns a 454-304 record over 11 seasons as a head coach, a tenure highlighted by an NBA Finals appearance with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007. He was named the league's Coach of the Year in 2008-09 after leading the Cavaliers to an NBA-best 66-16 record that season, and again earned the honour in 2022-23 after guiding the Sacramento Kings to the franchise's first post-season appearance in 17 years.

Brown was fired by the Kings in December following the team's 13-18 start. He compiled a 107-88 record in two-plus seasons with Sacramento.

The hiring ends an extended search to replace Thibodeau, who had taken New York to the playoffs in each of the past three seasons and led the Knicks to their first conference finals appearance since 2000 this year.

ESPN reported in June that the Knicks requested permission to interview three current head coaches - Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves' Chris Finch - but were denied access by each of those teams.

The Knicks then turned their focus towards Brown, who won 50 or more games four times during a five-year run with Cleveland from 2005-10 in his first NBA head coaching opportunity. However, the Cavaliers were upset by the Boston Celtics in the 2010 conference semifinals to become the first team in league history to win 60 or more games in consecutive seasons and fail to reach the NBA Finals each time, which prompted his dismissal.

Brown was then hired by the Los Angeles Lakers to succeed the retiring Phil Jackson, but was fired five games into his second season after the team started 1-4. He returned to Cleveland to coach the Cavs for a second time in 2013-14, but lasted just one season as they finished 33-49 and missed the playoffs.

He spent the next six seasons as an assistant under Steve Kerr with Golden State and was part of three Warriors' NBA titles (2016-17, 2017-18, 2021-22) before being hired by Sacramento.

Brown also won an NBA championship as an assistant under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs in 2002-03.

In New York, Brown inherits a talented roster that has won 50 or more games in each of the past two seasons while joining a franchise that also has seen post-season success become elusive. The Knicks last won an NBA championship in 1973 and made their most recent league finals appearance in 1999.