On October 2, 2024, Donte DiVincenzo was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks. DiVincenzo played only one season with the New York Knicks in the 2023-24 NBA season. However, in this short time, he gained great respect for the Knicks’ former head coach, Tom Thibodeau.

The Athletic’s Fred Katz recently appeared on the Ringer NBA Show, revealing some interesting facts about the Athletic polls. Katz revealed that every year, the Athletic does an anonymous player poll, and one of the questions is always ‘Which coach would you least like to play for? However, this year they changed the question to ‘Who do you think is the worst coach?’

Katz revealed that when this question was asked of the Minnesota Timberwolves players, DiVincenzo issued a stern warning to Wolves teammates.

“So apparently this year, when Minnesota players were polled, Donte would follow around the reporters who were taking the answers. When it got to the coach question, Donte would be like, ‘You m***********, you better not say Tom Thibodeau. He’s the f****** best,” Katz said.

The Knicks fired Thibodeau on June 3, 2025. He had coached the Knicks for five seasons and led the team to the playoffs in four of them, including two conference semifinals and one conference finals appearance.

Fred Katz Discusses DiVincenzo’s Connection To Thibodeau

Donte DiVincenzo (Image Credits: Imagn)

After Thibodeau’s firing, many players expressed disappointment with the decision, including Jalen Brunson, who left a press conference when a reporter asked him about Thibodeau. The players who Thibodeau coached still love him. During a recent appearance on the Ringer NBA Show, The Athletic’s Fred Katz revealed DiVincenzo’s love for Thibodeau.

“Donte loves Thibs more than either of us love our own mothers. It’s crazy,” Katz said.

In the 2024-25 NBA season, Donte DiVincenzo averaged 11.7 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 62 regular-season games.