Brunson, in particular, has known Thibodeau nearly his entire life. He was a young kid when his father, Rick, played for the Knicks for two seasons from 1998-2000. Thibodeau was a Knicks assistant at the time. And Rick Brunson later served as an assistant on Thibodeau’s staff with the Bulls and Timberwolves before reuniting again on the Knicks.

According to a report from Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo! Sports, the decision to fire Thibodeau was spearheaded by Knicks owner James Dolan. He, along with GM Leon Rose, held exit interviews with key Knicks players who voiced their frustrations with the head coach, with Dolan at the forefront of those discussions.

Less than three days after the New York Knicks were eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals by the Indiana Pacers in six games, the franchise decided to part ways with coach Tom Thibodeau, the team announced on Tuesday.