Mike Brown had just led the New York Knicks to an NBA championship, which usually means the coach gets to spend a few days talking about legacy, champagne, parades and how sweet it all feels.
Instead, Brown used part of his platform to push for someone else.
Speaking about his staff, Brown made it clear that associate head coach Chris Jent deserves more attention around the league. Jent served as Brown’s offensive coordinator in New York after joining the Knicks’ staff in 2025, and Brown sounded genuinely surprised that his top assistant had not received more serious head-coaching consideration.
“Chris Jent, my associate head coach, I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten an interview,” Brown said. “He’s our offensive coordinator. He’s been around for a long time. Somebody needs to give him an interview because he’ll help your team win at the highest level.”
Mike Brown: “Chris Jent, my associate head coach, I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten an interview. He’s our offensive coordinator. He’s been around for a long time. Somebody needs to give him an interview because he’ll help your team win at the highest level.” pic.twitter.com/CfVyVXoIAe
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 14, 2026
That is not a throwaway compliment. Coaches protect good assistants the way families protect secret recipes. If Brown is saying this publicly, after a championship run, it means he knows exactly what Jent brought to the Knicks behind the scenes.
Jent has been around the NBA for years as both a former player and coach. He played briefly for the Knicks in the 1996-97 season and later built a long coaching résumé that included stops with several NBA teams before joining Brown in New York. The Knicks hired him as associate head coach and offensive coordinator in August 2025, with Brown having worked with him previously in Cleveland.
His fingerprints were all over a Knicks team that found enough balance, spacing and late-game shot creation to survive a wild Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
So, Brown was not simply being loyal. He was pointing at the reality of modern coaching: the best assistants are often the ones doing the quiet problem-solving before anyone outside the building notices. They build the spacing. They shape the counters. They manage personalities. They keep the machine from turning into five talented players freelancing at the same time.
And after the Knicks won the title, Brown wanted the league to know that Jent was part of the reason why.
