The New York Knicks made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals this past season, and yet, the team opted to fire their head coach, Tom Thibodeau, after they lost in six games against the Indiana Pacers. Thibodeau may have run out of support within the Knicks building, but one of his former players, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo, is still a very big fan of his.
DiVincenzo only played with Thibodeau and the Knicks for one season in the 2023-24 campaign before he ended up getting dealt to the Timberwolves in the stunning Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster trade. And yet, while his time with New York did not end the way he was expecting it to, DiVincenzo made it clear to his teammates in Minnesota just how much he respected Thibodeau with a strong NSFW message.
Donte DiVincenzo’s Tom Thibodeau Message to his Timberwolves Teammates
DiVincenzo was selected with the No. 17 overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2018 NBA Draft, and throughout his career, he’s gradually turned himself into one of the top sharpshooters in the league. In addition to the Bucks, Knicks, and Timberwolves, the former Villanova Wildcats star has also spent time with the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.
The 2023-24 campaign with New York was easily the best season of DiVincenzo’s career, though. With Thibodeau giving him a bigger role, DiVincenzo shined, averaging a career-high 15.5 points per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Beyond that, DiVincenzo took a step forward as a shooter, knocking down a career-high 40.1% of his three-point attempts.
While he quickly had to change allegiances after unexpectedly getting traded to the Timberwolves, DiVincenzo continued to support Thibodeau last season. In fact, when players were voting for who they believed was the worst coach in the league, Minnesota’s new guard sent a scathing message to his new teammates regarding his former coach.
“You motherf***ers better not say Tom Thibodeau. He’s the f***ing best,” DiVincenzo said, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Knicks Moving Forward Without Tom Thibodeau
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesFormer New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau
Since taking over as New York’s head coach ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, Thibodeau helped usher in a new era of success for the Knicks. And while players like DiVincenzo appreciated his hard work, even a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals wasn’t enough to save his job. Thibodeau was shockingly fired after his team got bounced by the Pacers, with former Kings head coach Mike Brown eventually being hired as his replacement.
DiVincenzo and the Timberwolves were similarly bounced in the Western Conference Finals by the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it didn’t cost head coach Chris Finch his job. Considering his strong message of support for Thibodeau here, it’s safe to say that DiVincenzo disagrees with his old team’s decision to fire the veteran head coach. There’s not much he can do about it, though, and he will focus on getting himself ready for the 2026-27 season with Minnesota.
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