Charles Barkley went off Wednesday on the New York Knicks as the team’s search for a new head coach has quickly gone up in flames.
Last week, the Knicks stunned the basketball world by firing coach Tom Thibodeau. The surprise move came after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers.
Although the team wasn’t able to win its first championship in more than 50 years, Thibodeau’s five-year tenure was one of the most successful eras the franchise had enjoyed in decades. The Knicks made the playoffs in four of those years, won a total of five playoff series, and made the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
Earlier this week, ESPN insider Shams Charania revealed that the Knicks began looking around the league for a suitable replacement. The team reached out to multiple teams seeking permission to interview their coaches, but those requests were all being denied.
First, there was the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets.
The New York Knicks requested permission to speak to Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch and Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka for their head coaching job, but were denied on both, sources tell ESPN. Knicks could request permission for other current head coaches too.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 11, 2025
Then, the Dallas Mavericks showed them the door.
The New York Knicks requested permission Wednesday morning to speak to Mavericks coach Jason Kidd – and Dallas gave a firm rejection, sources tell ESPN. Knicks have been denied now on Kidd, Minnesota's Chris Finch and Houston's Ime Udoka.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 11, 2025
The next day, the Atlanta Falcons did the same.
Another one: The New York Knicks have requested permission to speak with Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, but were firmly denied, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 11, 2025
During NBA TV’s pre-game show before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Barkley called the Knicks the “stupidest damn people in the world.”
“The Knicks got to be the stupidest damn people in the world,” he said. “Like, you don’t fire no good coach like that and don’t have a plan. I mean, [Thibodeau] did a hell of a job. Obviously, something’s going on there; but you don’t have a plan and now the three coaches turn you down. You gotta have a plan, man, and they don’t have a plan now. I mean, I don’t know what the hell they’re gonna do.”
Watch above via NBA TV