Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have published their much-anticipated new episode of The Roommates Show, their first since Tom Thibodeau was fired.
The two Knicks veterans didn’t spend extended time talking about their former head coach, but both made sure to give their proper appreciation now that Thibodeau is gone.
Brunson, who has had a relationship with Thibodeau since he was a child following his father around in the Knicks locker room, praised the head coach that he always wanted to play for and thanked him for helping him rise to superstardom in New York.
“Obviously, I’ve known him my entire life, but I remember having conversations and moments with him in eighth grade when we moved to Chicago,” Brunson said. “And to see where he helped me become two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA. The things he’s done for me individually, I'm so grateful for.
“He had that confidence in me that I knew I had, but it’s great to see someone push me to be better…to have Thibs, and to do what he did for my career, I’m so grateful and thankful for. Not enough things can be said about what he’s meant to myself and my career”
Josh Hart also credited Thibodeau for helping him take another step forward in his career, as he was more a role player on previous teams before blossoming into a starter and a key part of a Knicks team that reached its first conference finals in 25 years.
“He helped make me into the player I am,” Hart said. “I had a lot of instability in the early part of my career and he gave me that stability and that opportunity to flourish as a player in the league, a starter in the league, so I’m always going to be forever grateful for him.
“This is always a tough part of the NBA because you grow relationships, not just on the court but off the court and personal relationships, so I always got love for him. It's always tough when there's a coaching change.
Hart also took to social media on Thursday to clap back at Thibodeau critics that were celebrating the coaching change.
“All y’all talking trash about Thibs are lame as hell,” Hart posted. “A different direction was taken, but y’all should be appreciative of what he did for the team and the organization.”