Rick Pitino Endorses Former Knick Player as Next HC

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Mar 15, 2025; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino coaches against the Creighton Bluejays during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

If it was up to Rick Pitino, that would be the case: he might not be interested in the job, but the current head coach of St. John's men's basketball team and former Knicks boss endorsed Queens native, former Red Storm star, and Manhattan draftee Mark Jackson to pick up where Tom Thibodeau left off in a recent X post commenting on the only head coaching vacancy left in the NBA.

"I obviously coached our rookie of the year, Mark Jackson," Pitino, who guided the Red Storm to a long-sought Big East Tournament title in March, said. "I believe he spent 18 years in the NBA as a player. Great coach with the Warriors and one of the brightest minds I've coached. Would love to see the Knicks bring Mark Jackson home!!"

As he mentioned, Pitino over saw Jackson's first NBA tours after the Knicks draft him with the 18th pick of the 1987 draft.

Jackson fell three votes short of unanimously winning the top freshman title and began a lengthy NBA career that also an All-Star Game appearance under Pitino's watch in 1989 and he also led the league in assists as a member of the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers eight years later. He would spend three more seasons with the Knicks after Pitino went back to the college game before he was traded to the Las Angeles Clippers in 1992.

After his playing career (which included a two-year return to the Knicks in 2001), Jackson became well-known for his work on ABC/ESPN's top NBA broadcasting team alongside MSG Network voice Mike Breen and former Knicks boss Jeff Van Gundy. That tenure (2011-14) was sandwiched by a three-season tenure at the helm of the Golden State Warriors, which saw him watch over some of Stephen Curry's early professional days.

Despite some off-court controversies, Jackson set the tone for the Warriors' resurgence in the 2010s. He guided the team to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1991-92. With Tom Thibodeau out, some have pegged Jackson as a potential successor in his native New York -- and with Pitino's virtual endorsement he has quite the letter of recommendation.