Former Blazer Mark Bryant Joins the Knicks

Former Portland Trail Blazers big man Mark Bryant is joining the New York Knicks in an assistant coaching role according to Ian Begley of SNY.

Mark Bryant is joining the Knicks as an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau’s staff, per SNY sources. Bryant, most recently with Pistons, is widely viewed as one of the top big man coaches in the NBA.

Bryant is a 15-year NBA veteran who spent the first seven years of his career in Portland from 1988 to 1995. Since retiring in 2003, Bryant has served as an assistant for the Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.

This hiring comes shortly after the Knicks signed head coach Tom Thibodeau to an extension according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

ESPN Sources: New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has agreed on a three-year contract extension that’ll take him through the 2027-2028 season. A two-time NBA coach of the year, Thibodeau has led the Knicks to consecutive conference semifinal berths.

Thibodeau has helmed New York since the 2020-21 NBA season. He last led the Knicks to a 50-32 record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, getting within one game of an Eastern Conference Finals berth.