Knicks Assistant Recalls First Meeting Tom Thibodeau

New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau hired Rick Brunson as an assistant back in 2022 when the team signed his son Jalen to a four-year deal.

Brunson was familiar with Thibodeau from when he was on his coaching staffs with the Chicago Bulls (2010-12) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (2016-18), but their story together goes way beyond that.

On a recent episode of “The Mark Jackson Show,” Brunson spoke about his story with Thibodeau and how the pair met back in the 1980’s.

Thibodeau played college basketball at D-III Salem State in Massachusetts. In his senior year, Thibodeau led his team to the NCAA Tournament and a league championship. After Thibodeau graduated from Salem State, he joined the coaching staff as an assistant shortly after his playing career had come to an end.

Thibodeau coached at Salem State until 1985 and was the head coach during his final season with the program. Part of Salem State’s coaching came from the local men’s league, where Thibodeau would also play. That’s where Thibodeau and Brunson would first cross paths, even though the latter was just a teenager.

Brunson was a rising prospect in the Massachusetts youth basketball scene, where he would eventually become a McDonald’s All-American. While Thibodeau moved on to Harvard to become an assistant after coaching Salem State, Brunson would graduate from Salem High School and attend Temple University.

Thibodeau and Brunson would cross paths once again when the two reached the NBA. Thibodeau started out as an assistant with the Timberwolves in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. He had stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers before eventually arriving to the Knicks as an assistant in 1996 under Jeff Van Gundy.

Brunson went undrafted in 1995 out of Temple, but joined the Knicks in the 1999-2000 campaign, and that’s when the two became further acquainted.

Fast forward 25 years later, and Brunson and Thibodeau are hoping that they can bring the first championship to the Knicks since 1973.

You can watch the full interview with Brunson here.

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