Flashback: Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau Recalls 9/11

Well-known for game day intensity, New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau knew that every challenge he faced on the hardwood paled in comparison to what transpired on Sept. 11, 2001.

“It helped put things into perspective,” Thibodeau said in 2011 to Adam Fluck of the Chicago Bulls’ official website. “Sports are sports—they aren’t life or death.

Thibodeau was an assistant coach with the Knicks when Al-Qaeda terrorists engaged in a series of attacks on the United States, including the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. He was at the Knicks’ training facility, then based in Purchase, when the North Tower was struck by a hijacked plan at 8:46 a.m. ET.

Thibodeau recalled that he and several Knicks, all of whom made their way to Westchester County in anticipation of training camp, stopping in their tracks to view coverage of the attacks. Many believed it was an accident, but tragic, horrifying reality struck 17 minutes later when another plane hit the South Tower.

The tragedy hit then-Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy particularly hard: Van Gundy spent the ensuing hours desperately trying to connect to his close friend Farrell Lynch, who worked for investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald in one of the towers. Sadly, Lynch was one of the 2,977 Americans killed on the tragic day.

“All we could think about were all those people in the buildings,” Thibodeau said. “There was all this damage that was being done, but no one really knew what was happening.”

In the face of the horror, Thibodeau also proudly recalled the way the country came together in unity, putting aside petty differences to acknowledge the work of the heroes that made unspeakable sacrifices to soothe the pain brought about on that Tuesday morning.

“The sadness surrounding the loss of so many people was terrible. But we all watched the heroism of the first responders and saw the resiliency of the city. It was amazing,” Thibodeau said. “How we responded to that tragedy was about as good as you could have done,. We saw a lot of heroism, and our leadership was outstanding. There were no politics or taking sides. Everyone worked together, and hopefully, we learned lessons from that.”

Over a month later, the Knicks opened their 2001-02 season at Madison Square Garden against the Washington Wizards. What would’ve been viewed as a return for one of sports’ supposed heroes … Michael Jordan played the first game of his Wizards career that night … instead became an outlet for the city to gratefully thank those who defined the concept better than any player ever could.

Thibodeau spoke of being proud of the way the country came through, in his eyes, for the better.

“We had no control over anything that day other than the way we responded to the adversity,” he closed. “I think our country rose up to that challenge and we are better because of it. It really changed the way we live. We can never lose sight of what happened that day.”

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