Former New York Knicks center Taj Gibson is calling it a career — and apparently wasting no time starting the next one.
Gibson announced his retirement on September 14 after 17 NBA seasons. ESPN’s Shams Charania subsequently reported that the 41-year-old will return to the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach on Tiago Splitter’s staff.
“Today is a very emotional day for me,” Gibson wrote in his retirement announcement. “After 17 seasons in the NBA, I can honestly say I gave this game everything I had.”
For Knicks fans, it closes the book on one of the more durable connections to the Tom Thibodeau era.
Taj Gibson Retirement Comes After He Became a Trusted Knicks Veteran
Gibson played parts of four seasons with the Knicks, first arriving in 2019 and later returning during the 2023-24 campaign.
He appeared in 175 regular-season games for New York, making 64 starts while averaging 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. Gibson shot 56.7% from the field during his Knicks tenure.
The numbers only explain part of his staying power.
Gibson became a trusted veteran for Thibodeau, who had previously coached him in both Chicago and Minnesota. When the Knicks needed frontcourt help after Mitchell Robinson suffered a stress fracture in his ankle in December 2023, they went back to Gibson.
New York brought him back again on a 10-day contract in January 2024. At that point, the Knicks noted Gibson had already played 169 games for the franchise.
A Brooklyn native finishing a substantial chunk of his career at Madison Square Garden was fitting enough. His next move might be even more so.
Gibson Returns to Chicago Bulls to Begin Coaching Career
Chicago selected Gibson with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, beginning a run of eight seasons with the Bulls.
Now he goes back to where his NBA career started.
Charania reported that Gibson will serve as an assistant under Splitter, whom Chicago hired as its head coach in June. Splitter became the 25th head coach in Bulls history after spending the previous season as Portland’s interim coach.
Gibson’s transition comes almost immediately after his playing future appeared to reach a crossroads.
Memphis traded Gibson to the New Orleans Pelicans on September 8. The Pelicans waived him the following day. Gibson had played 10 games for Memphis during the 2025-26 season, averaging 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds.
Five days later, he made the decision permanent.
Gibson finishes with 1,012 regular-season games, 8,431 points and 5,754 rebounds across 17 seasons. He played for eight franchises, but Chicago and New York accounted for 737 of those appearances.
“This isn’t goodbye to Basketball,” Gibson wrote. “It’s the beginning of a new chapter.”
For Gibson, that chapter begins in the same city where the first one did.
Ex-New York Knicks C Taj Gibson Announces Major Career News