HEAD COACH DESAGANA DIOP AND ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH DEVAN BLAIR NAMED 2025 NBA G LEAGUE UP NEXT COACHES

White Plains, NY – February 10, 2025 –The NBA G League announced today that Head Coach DeSagana Diop and Associate Head Coach Devan Blair of the Westchester Knicks, the official NBA G League affiliate of the New York Knicks, have been named coaches for the 2025 NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T. The event is to be played on Sunday, February 16 at 3:30 PM/ET and streaming on Tubi and the NBA App. Coach Diop will be coaching Team Swish Cultures and Coach Blair will be leading Team Strictly. This marks the first time in franchise history that the Westchester Knicks will have coaches represented at the NBA G League All-Star Game, during NBA All-Star Weekend. 

Diop, 43-years old, is in his third season as head coach with the Westchester Knicks after joining the franchise on September 29, 2022. Diop holds an overall coaching record of 65-71 with the Westchester Knicks and has helped the team earn a franchise-high nine NBA call-ups during the 2023-24 season, and five this season with Matt Ryan, Boo Buie, Moses Brown, Landry Shamet and Chuma Okeke. Diop is also the head coach of the Senegal National Basketball team where he recently went 3-0 in the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket Qualifiers. 

Blair, 32-years old, is in his second season as associate head coach and third season overall with the Westchester Knicks. Blair joined the Westchester Knicks as an assistant coach in August 2022 and was later named associate head coach before the 2023-24 Season. This season as acting head coach, Blair has a record of 2-1 when leading the Westchester Knicks. Blair is a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington. 

Under Head Coach DeSagana Diop and Associate Head Coach Devan Blair, the Westchester Knicks secured their second consecutive Winter Showcase Championship on December 22, 2024, against the Sioux Falls Skyforce, 125-119. They won last year’s championship against the Indiana Mad Ants on December 22, 2023, 107-99. This marked the first time in NBA G League history that a G League team has become repeat champions in the Winter Showcase Tournament. Westchester would conclude the 2024-25 Tip-Off Tournament ranked in first place with a record of 13-4. 

During the regular season, Westchester ranks second (12-6) in the Eastern Conference and are currently the second-best offensive team in the NBA G League, scoring 121.1 points per game. The Knicks also currently rank first in rebounds (50.2), offensive rebounds (15.8), and field goals made (44.4). The team ranks third in three-pointers made (15.5) and are within the top five in assists (27.1).

The NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T will feature a tournament-style format with four teams, drafted by influencer general managers, and composed of some of the G League’s most exciting players. Four influencer GMs will draft their teams from the pool of 28 players, including 10 NBA G League players selected by fan vote. NBA G League coaches will help guide the teams. The event will feature four teams of seven players competing in two semifinal games and will be played with rules similar to the Rising Stars. Two teams will square off in semifinals matchups up to 30 points, and the winning teams will face off in a championship game to determine an overall winner. The event is to take place in San Francisco, CA at the NBA Crossover in the Moscone Center.

The Westchester Knicks return from the All-Star break to face-off against the Delaware Bluecoats on Thursday, February 20^th at 7:00 PM. 

About Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.

Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSG Sports) is a leading professional sports company, with a collection of assets that includes the New York Knicks (NBA) and the New York Rangers (NHL), as well as two development league teams – the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also operates a professional sports team performance center – the MSG Training Center in Greenburgh, NY. More information is available at www.msgsports.com