The Knicks’ coaching staff is taking another hit this summer, and this one comes with a little more irony than most. Jordan Brink, the assistant best known around New York for having a sharp eye on coach’s challenges, is leaving for the Bulls, where he’ll serve as Director of Player Development, according to Michael A. Scotto.
Brink’s move follows Carson Shanks’ departure, making this a familiar kind of offseason for a team coming off a championship run: the more success New York has, the more other teams come calling. Brink was the Knicks’ Director of Video Services and Player Development, so Chicago is giving him a promotion as Tiago Splitter builds out his staff.
For Knicks fans, Brink’s value showed up in the moments that can swing everything. His biggest spotlight came in Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals in San Antonio, when New York had already coughed up a 14-point lead and was hanging on late. With a little more than 2:30 left, OG Anunoby was fouled on a 3-point attempt and sent the ball out of bounds.
The officials ruled that the ball had last touched Anunoby before going out. Brink saw it differently and told Mike Brown to challenge the call.
Brown listened, the challenge worked, and Anunoby got three free throws instead of a turnover. He made all three, and the Knicks grabbed a 100-97 lead with 2:37 left in a game that went down to the final seconds.
That kind of sharp decision-making has already become a trend for New York’s challenge coordinators. The challenge system started as a trial ahead of the 2019-20 season and became official in 2021.
Before Brink, the Knicks had Scott King in that role, and he was also taken away by the Spurs in the 2024 offseason. San Antonio sent him to coach its G-League affiliate in Austin, where he put together an excellent first season and won G-League Coach of the Year before earning a promotion to Mitch Johnson’s NBA staff.
Brink now heads to Chicago with that same kind of reputation: a behind-the-scenes voice who can change a game with one good read.
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