As there have been rumors around the head coaching vacancy of the New York Knicks, ESPN analyst and known fan of the team in Stephen A. Smith, gave his idea for somebody who should be considered. After the shocking news of the Knicks firing Tom Thibodeau, the team is now looking for a new voice to lead the team, with Mark Jackson being Smith’s choice.
Jackson played in the NBA from 1987 to 2004, where he was drafted by New York and played there until 1992, and his only coaching stint was with the Golden State Warriors from 2011-2014. Smith would speak on “First Take” about the time with the Warriors, where he spoke of him building the dynasty in the 2010s, which head coach Steve Kerr “piggybacked off of that.”
“I’m gonna always mention the name Mark Jackson, because he’s been away from the game for a decade as a coach,” Smith said. “This man was responsible for building Golden State before Steve Kerr was brought in and took over and piggybacked off of that and ascended to four championships, no doubt. But Mark Jackson starred at Bishop Loughlin. Mark Jackson starred at St John’s University, Mark Jackson was a rookie of the year playing for the New York Knicks, Mark Jackson was a preeminent voice on the NBA, and he knows and feels and vibes with New York.”
“I’m gonna always mention the name Mark Jackson…this man was responsible for building Golden State before Steve Kerr was brought in and took over and piggybacked off of that.” – Stephen A. Smith on Knicks coaching search pic.twitter.com/XMo6306z77
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 9, 2025
Stephen A. Smith continues to hype up Mark Jackson for the Knicks job
While it has been rumored that the Knicks are also interested in Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, Smith would continue to make the case for Jackson. He would speak about Jackson being a native of New York and how he would be the voice for the team, taking shots at owner James Dolan and president Leon Rose, saying they “hide” from the media.
“He’s a native, so a voice for the New York Knicks, where we ain’t got to worry about hearing from James Dolan, who hides from us, or Leon Rose, the president, who hides from us. Got APBs out for their a**es,” Smith said. “We ain’t got to worry about somebody like that because you got somebody like Mark Jackson, but I understand that that’s pretty much, I doubt that will happen. There is no one that can question the credentials of a Jason Kidd, but you certainly can’t question the credentials of a Mike Malone because he’s a champion.”
It remains to be seen who will be the next head coach for the Knicks, but it will no doubt come with massive expectations.
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