Former Sixers Head Coach Joins Rival Team’s Staff

Former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Mo Cheeks joins the New York Knicks.

May 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau during the second half of game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks are bringing in a former Philadelphia 76ers head coach to join Tom Thibodeau’s staff for the 2024-2025 NBA season.

Former Sixers draft pick Mo Cheeks has carved out a name for himself in the league as a player and a coach. After he wrapped up his playing career in 1993, Cheeks entered the coaching space and re-joined the 76ers as an assistant in 1994.

Cheeks’ first head coaching opportunity came in 2001 with the Portland Trail Blazers. After a four-year run as Portland’s head coach, Cheeks was hired to take over the Sixers’ coaching job.

For four seasons Cheeks ran the Sixers. In his first two years in charge, Philadelphia missed the playoffs. During the 2007-2008 run, Philly finished the regular season with a 40-42 record. They lost in six games during the first round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

During the 2008-2009 season, Cheeks was fired after a 9-14 start to the year. After getting another run as an assistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cheeks landed a head coaching spot with the Detroit Pistons during the 2013-2014 season. A 21-29 record led him to another firing.

Since his run with the Pistons, Cheeks held assistant positions with the OKC Thunder, and most recently, the Chicago Bulls. He spent the last four years in Chicago.

Moving forward, Cheeks will join a direct rival of the 76ers. Just this past season, the Knicks and the Sixers met in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. In a first-round series, which spanned six games, New York took care of the Sixers and won the series.

Unfortunately for New York, their playoff run didn’t last too much longer. In the second round, the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers battled it out for a seven-game series. While it was a close series for both squads, Indiana found an edge. The Knicks wrapped up their run in the second round.