Could Jay Wright Coach the Villanova Knicks?

The New York Knicks shook up the NBA world on Tuesday, June 3, firing head coach Tom Thibodeau after five seasons and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance this season.

Naturally, one of the names floated to succeed Thibodeau is former Villanova Men’s Basketball head coach Jay Wright, who coached current Knicks stars Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges and won a pair of national championships with the Wildcats. Wright compiled a 642–282 record over 28 years as a collegiate head coach, spending the vast majority of that time at Villanova. While he’s coached in a handful of international competitions, he never took his expertise to the professional game.

Although they fell short against the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, Brunson and company helped New York to their best postseason finish in a quarter century; Brunson, a Second Team All-NBA player, started in the 2025 All-Star Game and won the NBA’s Clutch Player Award for his fourth quarter heroics.

Wright retired from coaching following the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, a surprise move on the heels of a Final Four run for the Wildcats. Rumors circulated that the advent of the Name, Image and Likeness era of college sports played a role in his decision, as did the free-for-all of the transfer portal. Those issues wouldn’t concern Wright in the NBA, of course, nor would he need to focus on recruiting anymore, but it’s safe to say that the 63 year old hall of famer is a long shot to come out of retirement.

That won’t stop fans of Villanova and the Knicks from dreaming, of course, so prepare for plenty of buzz surrounding Wright and New York in the coming days as their coaching search kicks off.