James L. Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden, said in an interview with HBO Sports that he was surprised by the amount of public criticism he faced in May after hiring Isiah Thomas as president of the W.N.B.A.’s Liberty.

“Worse than I imagined,” Dolan said in a segment for “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel,” which is scheduled to air Tuesday night.

Thomas’s return to the Garden was clouded by controversy stemming from his tenure as coach and president of the Knicks. In 2007, a federal jury ruled that Thomas had engaged in sexual discrimination against Anucha Browne, a former team executive who won an $11.5 million judgment against Madison Square Garden after she accused Thomas of harassment. Thomas left the Knicks in 2008.

Dolan, who owns the Knicks and the Liberty, has maintained a close relationship with Thomas, who was also interviewed by HBO. Eight years after the court ruling, both men expressed defiance.