Knicks finalizing Rick Brunson hire as assistant coach

The Knicks are finalizing a contract with Rick Brunson to become an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau’s staff, SNY has learned.

Brunson, a nine-year NBA veteran, has been an assistant coach under Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota.

The deal is expected to be finalized in the coming days, per people familiar with the matter.

The 49-year-old fills a spot on the Knicks bench created when former assistant Kenny Payne left to become head coach at the University of Louisville.

Hiring Brunson to fill the void left by Payne gives the Knicks what should be a seamless transition on the bench; Brunson has a deep history with both Thibodeau and the organization and has vast experience in player development.

Brunson was also one of the first clients of team president Leon Rose when Rose was a player agent at CAA.

Current NBA fans may know Brunson as the father of Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, whom the Knicks had been interested in prior to the trade deadline. Brunson is an unrestricted free agent. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison have said that the team wants to re-sign Brunson.

In addition to coaching with Thibodeau in Minnesota and Chicago -- where the teams combined to go 352-246 -- Brunson also was an assistant in Charlotte and Denver. But his ties with Thibodeau go back more than three decades.

Thibodeau and Brunson first met in Salem, Mass., when Thibodeau coached at Salem State and Brunson was a McDonald’s All-American at Salem High School.

Brunson and Thibodeau played in the same Salem outdoor men’s summer league (Thibodeau played on a team that included some of his Salem State players). Brunson also worked out with Salem State players during Thibodeau’s tenure.

Thibodeau left Salem State to serve as an assistant coach at Harvard University. He remained in touch with Brunson, trying to convince him to commit to the prestigious university.

Brunson was invited to training camp with the Knicks in 1997 but was released prior to the season. Jeff Van Gundy was the head coach at the time and Thibodeau was an assistant.

Thibodeau made calls on Brunson’s behalf – as he had done throughout Brunson’s career – advocating for the guard. Brunson signed with the Blazers in 1997.

New York then signed Brunson in the strike-shortened 1998-99 season, and Brunson played with the Knicks for two-plus seasons.

He sat beside Thibodeau on the bench during games and has said that he did so because they had a close relationship and because he wanted to learn more about coaching, a goal for his post-playing career.

Brunson was hired by the Timberwolves as an assistant coach in 2016, but he resigned from the team's staff in 2018 reportedly amid allegations by female employees of inappropriate conduct. Brunson and his attorney at the time refuted the allegations, saying that there were no findings of any wrongdoing.

Brunson was also acquitted of all criminal charges related to 2014 incident with a massage therapist in Illinois.

For the past three years, Brunson has been the head coach at Camden High School in New Jersey.

Coached by Brunson and led by DJ Wagner (one of the nation’s top prep players), Camden won the Group 2 New Jersey state title this year.

Brunson has said that coaching at Camden High School provided him an opportunity not only to coach but also mentor young players and impact the community, developing close ties with Camden’s mayor and top school and community officials. Brunson announced to his student athletes that he was resigning from his post on Thursday afternoon.

Brunson’s addition to the Knicks should bolster their player-development program and was likely critical for the team in wake of Payne’s departure. In addition to coaching high school basketball at Camden, Brunson has worked with young draft eligible players ahead of their respective drafts. He’s also worked out some young Knicks as recently as the 2021 offseason.