St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said he has zero interest in becoming head coach of the New York Knicks again.
“Absolutely not,” Pitino said during a broadcast of Wednesday’s game between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians.
“I think whoever comes in, if he doesn’t get to the Finals, it’s going to be deemed an unsuccessful season,” Pitino continued. “So, whoever comes in has got so much pressure on them to take this team to the next level, ’cause that’s why they’re doing it, obviously, in their minds.”
The Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
The Knicks haven’t reached the NBA Finals since 1999 and have not won a championship since 1973.
Pitino, 72, compiled a 90-74 record with two playoff appearances in two seasons as the head coach for New York from 1987 to ’89.
The Hall of Famer completed his second season as coach at St. John’s in 2024-25, winning national and Big East Coach of the Year honors after finishing 31-5.
Thibodeau compiled a 226-174 (.565) record in five seasons with the Knicks, including a 51-31 finish this season. He was 24-23 in the playoffs with New York.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.
