The Protege of Tom Thibodeau: Dice Yoshimoto
Learn about the New York Knicks assistant coach and his longtime mentorship under Tom Thibodeau.
Daisuke “Dice” Yoshimoto is currently an assistant coach for the New York Knicks under Tom Thibodeau. Coach Yoshimoto is a player development coach and previously worked as a special assistant to Coach Thibodeau with the Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and as a video coordinator with the Chicago Bulls.
In this article, you’ll learn about Coach Yoshimoto’s coaching career and his longtime mentorship under Coach Tom Thibodeau.
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Journey to the NBA
Yoshimoto was born Higashiosaka, Osaka, Japan in 1981. He played basketball in high school and played Division III basketball at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. He chose not to pursue a playing career, later joining his college’s basketball coaching staff after graduating in 2005.
Coaching Career
“Players will allow you to coach whether you play or you didn't play, gender, height where you're from as long as you were sincere you're confident you are reliable and trustworthy players will allow you to coach” - Tom Thibodeau’s advice to Yoshimoto
In 2008, Yoshimoto graduated from Fordham University in New York City and joined the New Jersey Nets (now located in Brooklyn) under head coach Lawerence Frank.
Coach Yoshimoto later joined the Ukrainian national men’s basketball team in 2011 under Mike Fratello. Due to the success compared to recent years in Ukraine, the team reached out to Tom Thibodeau on Yoshimoto’s behalf, which started their relationship.
Chicago Bulls (2011-2015)
Yoshimoto was then hired as a video coordinator for the Chicago Bulls under Thibodeau in 2011. Coach Thibodeau was fired on May 28, 2015 due to Chicago’s front office wanting a “culture change”.
Notably on the Chicago rosters were Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Richard Hamilton, Carlos Boozer, Nate Robinson, Kirk Hinrich, and Jimmer Fredette.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2016-2019)
After working under Michael Malone with the Denver Nuggets, he joined Thibodeau’s new staff with the Minnesota Timberwolves as the “Special Assistant to the Head Coach” in 2016. He would remain in Minnesota until Thibodeau was fired on January 6, 2019, due to team regression after their playoff appearance.
Notably on the Minnesota rosters were Karl Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford, Tyus Jones, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, and Derrick Rose.
After the season ended, Yoshimoto worked under Georgia State head coach Tom Crean, a veteran Collegiate head coach and a close friend of Tom Thibodeau. He held the position of “Director of Basketball Strategy”.
New York Knicks (2020-)
On July 30, 2020, the New York Knicks hired Coach Thibodeau as their new head coach. Yoshimoto was one of his additions to the staff, along with previous Thibodeau assistant coaches from Minnesota and Chicago. He worked as a special assistant and player development coach until 2022, when he was promoted to assistant coach, in the same year, he also coached their Summer League team.
He also became the second Asian coach to hold a NBA head coaching position (including G-League) in NBA history, the first being Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat. He has a record of 12-9 as the head coach of the summer league team as of 2025.
So far in Yoshimoto’s Knicks tenure, he’s worked with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Topping, Derrick Rose, Kemba Walker, Quentin Grimes, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride, Isaiah Hartenstein, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges.
“I love to develop young players players in general I love the strategy part of it it's very competitive and that's why I like especially NBA players are so good and coaches are so good I just want to continue to get better at it” - Dice Yoshimoto
Dice Yoshimoto had a unique journey to the NBA, it’s no doubt he’s learning from one of the best coaches that he could ask for in coach Thibodeau. We hope to see Coach Yoshimoto climb up the coaching ladder further, but in the meantime he’s making an impact on this Knicks team and this coaching staff.