The New York Knicks have received permission to interview San Antonio Spurs assistant coach, Will Hardy, for their vacant head-coaching position, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.
Hardy, 32, has spent the past four years under the tutelage of legendary head coach Gregg Popovich as an assistant and 10 with the Spurs organization.
Wojnarowski added that he is “well-regarded within the Spurs organization.”
It’s another name to add to the potential list of Knicks’ head-coaching candidates.
The Knicks are expected to make their hire outside of the organization after finishing their shortened 2019-20 season with Mike Miller at the helm. He took over for David Fizdale, who was fired in December.
Initial names on new president Leon Rose’s shortlist featured a number of experienced, well-traveled candidates, including Tom Thibodeau, Kenny Atkinson, and Mark Jackson — all of whom spent time with the Knicks organization.
A report from Shams Charania of The Athletic on Wednesday also disclosed that Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Ime Udoka will also be interviewed.
Udoka worked with the Spurs as an assistant from 2012-2019 before joining the 76ers.
The Knicks are coming off their seventh-consecutive losing season after the 2019-20 campaign was cut short in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Their record of 21-45 was fourth-worst in the Eastern Conference, ensuring they were not invited to the NBA’s 22-team restart in Orlando scheduled for late-July.
