Karl-Anthony Towns had an apparent wordless reaction to Tuesday’s bombshell news of Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s firing.
Taking to his Instagram Stories, Towns re-shared a Knicks tribute he posted on his page earlier in the week, but kept Tuesday’s focus on a smiling photo of himself and the 67-year-old Thibodeau.
“This city. These fans. Thank you,” the 7-foot center penned in the post’s caption Monday, two days after the Knicks’ Eastern Conference finals ouster to the Pacers. “The best is yet to come.”
Change was next to come for Towns, 29, and the Knicks after the team stunningly announced Tuesday they were relieving Thibodeau of his coaching duties after five seasons at the helm.
“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement.
“We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach.”
The stunning shakeup followed the Knicks’ first Eastern Conference finals berth in 25 years.
Towns had a quiet performance in Game 6, putting up 22 points in the 125-108 season-ending defeat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The five-time All-Star averaged 24.4 points per game this season, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
“It hurts to not bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” Towns said Saturday. “We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room, and we hope to put ourselves in this position again.”
Towns was traded to the Knicks by the Timberwolves in a blockbuster last fall.Thibodeau coached the Timberwolves during the early days of Towns’ career before taking the Knicks job in 2020.
Thibodeau’s successor will be tasked with guiding the Knicks to their first NBA title since 1973.
UConn’s Danny Hurley and former Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant — who now holds the same position with the Cavaliers — top the early list of potential candidates for the job.
As the dust continues to settle on Thibodeau’s firing, Knicks stars and fans have continued to pay tribute.
Guard Josh Hart wrote on X, “Forever Grateful. Thank You!” while superfan Ben Stiller expressed, “I will always be grateful for how far he brought the Knicks. They are relevant again. They are championship contenders again. The Knicks became winners again with him.”