Rick Pitino Shocks Fans: Why He’s Refusing the Knicks Head Coach Job Despite the Drama

Rick Pitino tossing out the first pitch at the Yankees game was a spectacle — but don’t get your hopes up about him coaching the Knicks again. When asked, Pitino’s answer was crystal clear: “Absolutely not.” It’s a sharp end to endless chatter about whether the basketball guru would make a comeback with New York’s most storied franchise. Sure, Pitino has the résumé — the experience, the grit, the hometown knowledge — but this time around, he’s firmly planted at St. John’s, riding the wave of a late-career resurgence. The Knicks, meanwhile, are standing at the crossroads, fresh off parting ways with Tom Thibodeau, eyeing a fresh face to steer them beyond their recent Eastern Conference Finals heartache. While some names flash across the rumor mill, Pitino won’t be the man to turn Madison Square Garden into home court advantage—despite the tempting proximity and his undeniable credentials. He’s grateful, fulfilled, and ready to keep coaching on his own terms. So, the Knicks? They gotta look elsewhere. LEARN MORE

Pitino already worked for the Knicks early in his career. He was an assistant there for two seasons before jumping into the head job in 1987. He returned to the league nearly a decade later for a short stint with the Boston Celtics. Pitino is now with St. John’s, where he’s fresh off an NCAA tournament trip and in the midst of a career revival following his tumultuous exit from Louisville.Advertisement

“Absolutely not,” he said Wednesday night during the New York Yankees’ game against the Cleveland Guardians, after he threw out the first pitch.Advertisement

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The Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday after five seasons with the franchise. Thibodeau was fresh off a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, too, which is a place the Knicks hadn’t been since 2000. By all accounts, Thibodeau’s time with the Knicks was a success. He just couldn’t get them over the hump and into the Finals.Advertisement“As long as you’re mentally and physically sharp, you do it as long as you can, because coaching is a blessing,” Pitino said, via SNY. “It’s the second-best thing to playing. I’ve been blessed with over 50 years of coaching, and I hope it continues as long as I can do it.”

While there are a number of reasons why he might be a great fit, Pitino is now officially out of the running.

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