Mike Brown takes moment to bring Knicks together amid off-court drama: ‘Really cool’

This was a day for “mindfulness.” 

A day that Knicks coach Mike Brown used to remind his players that others can be going through their own personal issues they might not be aware of. 

Prior to practice Sunday, rather than watching film, Brown chose to discuss something beyond basketball.

One example he used was the contract issues multiple players are dealing with.

He also brought up the loss of his ex-wife in 2025 and the impact it had on his sons and him. 

“As a coach, it’s not all about X’s and O’s every single day. Any time you can try to enlighten guys in different areas of life, not just about the basketball court, you try to do that,” he said. “This is something I thought about doing because I discussed it with a few of my coaches maybe a week and a half, two weeks ago. It was just speaking on being mindful or having mindfulness when it comes to your teammates.” 

Karl-Anthony Towns appreciated it. He is one of three Knicks who are extension-eligible. Towns has been vocal about his disappointment that a new deal hasn’t gotten done, and Friday the Knicks released a statement that they were cutting off talks until later in the year. 

“It was really cool to have Coach talk to us about being human, about the struggles in life,” Towns said. “Us being together and us understanding where everyone is in life and the situations they deal with will allow us to be even more connected and allow us to be an even better team. 

“I want to make sure I say that. I have to give flowers to Mike. That was an amazing job by him as our leader to approach the elephant in the room and to allow us, the players and the coaches, the ones who were on that court in Game 4, Game 5, who really found a way to get this title back to New York, to be human. I think that’s an amazing thing.” 

Brown made it clear this wasn’t just about the contractual issues. It was about the Knicks growing closer as a family and being there for one another. 

“We have to hold each other accountable, but we also have to be mindful that you may have some s–t going on in your life that may not be good,” he said. “So we can’t keep trying to beat you up to be better at your job. Sometimes, it’s trying to figure out how to do that while uplifting you because I don’t know what you’re going through at home in your private life.”