The Knicks' high-profile coaching search just took another turn, as they are officially interviewing Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, according to a tweet from ESPN insider Shams Charania. It is a surprising twist in the organization's heavily scrutinized search, as they previously had been focused only on candidates with prior head coaching experience.
The New York Knicks are interviewing Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori for the team's head coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Now three candidates – Nori and two former head coaches Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins – have done formal interviews for the Knicks' vacancy.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2025
After dismissing Tom Thibodeau roughly three weeks ago, the Knicks' search can be divided into two buckets. One bucket is filled with current head coaches they attempted to poach from other teams, including Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka, Billy Donovan, Quin Snyder, and Chris Finch.
The other bucket is comprised of former head coaches, as the Knicks had reportedly only been interested in those who had prior head coaching experience. That bucket includes Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown, both of whom have reportedly completed interviews with the Knicks already.
Now, it seems the Knicks are broadening their search further, officially extending an interview offer to a long-time assistant with no head coaching experience at all.
Nori has many years of experience, just not as a head coach
Nori has been in the league for over a decade and a half, having spent four years in Toronto, two years in Sacramento, three years in Denver, three years in Detroit, and the last four years in Minnesota, all as an assistant coach.
By all accounts, Nori seems like a great guy. He was considered for the Cavaliers' head coaching position, which eventually went to Kenny Atkinson last year. According to an article from the Associated Press, "His [Nori] warm personality has endeared him to colleagues and players and it wasn’t unusual for Nori to use a funny analogy during TV sideline interviews to keep the mood light."
An article from Fox 9 even called Nori the "Ted Lasso" of the NBA. Sounds a bit like the opposite of Thibodeau, huh?
Where do the other options stand?
Both Jenkins and Brown reportedly had successful interviews with the organization last week, with both receiving varying levels of internal support. The Knicks also seem to be holding out hope that Kidd could eventually force his way out of Dallas and all the way to New York, especially after his long-time assistant coach, Sean Sweeney, departed for a job with the San Antonio Spurs.
The NBA draft is just one day away. The Knicks seem content heading into it without a head coach. Considering they only have one second-round pick in the draft, that decision may not have many implications. However, they need to make a decision before free agency so they can focus on filling out their roster for a championship-or-bust season.