Nate Tibbetts (born May 15, 1977) is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach who is the current head coach of the

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA).

Early life

Tibbetts is the son of girls high school basketball coach Fred Tibbetts. He grew up in Jefferson, South Dakota, and attended high school there before transferring to Roosevelt High School in

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192 ...

as a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

. A ,

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

, he led the basketball team at Roosevelt to a third-place finish in the state tournament as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, when he averaged 11 points and 2.5 rebounds per game and was chosen all-conference and all-state. He appeared in a total of 46 games at Roosevelt and set the school's all-time assists record, with 366. Tibbetts enrolled at the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is t ...

and began playing for the

South Dakota Coyotes men's basketball The South Dakota Coyotes men's basketball team represents the University of South Dakota in NCAA Division I basketball. They are currently members of the Summit League. They are led by head coach Eric Peterson and play their home games at the Sanf ...

team. He

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his first year and then started the final nine games of his redshirt-

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

season. He won the starting job as a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

and remained a starter for the rest of his tenure there. The team went 19–8 in the 1997–98 season and Tibbetts helped them win 22 or more games in each of the next three years, which included winning the

North Central Conference The North Central Conference (NCC), also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II. History The NCC ...

(NCC) title three seasons in a row. He was an All-NCC selection and All-NCC Tournament choice in his senior year and ended his collegiate career with averages of 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game; he also averaged 6.5 assists in conference play and placed second in school history in career assists (678) and steals (215). He was named the ''

Argus-Leader The ''Argus Leader'' is the daily newspaper of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is the largest newspaper by total circulation in South Dakota. It is owned by Gannett and part of the USA Today Network. History The ''Argus Leader'' traces its hi ...

'' Player of the Year as a senior and was inducted into the South Dakota Coyotes Hall of Fame in 2014.

Coaching career

Tibbetts began his coaching career after he graduated from the University of South Dakota in 2001, becoming an assistant for the

Sioux Falls Cougars The Sioux Falls Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Sioux Falls, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing the Northern Sun Intercol ...

of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA). He spent four seasons in that role and helped them win 20 or more games each year, including 26 in 2003–04. He then became an assistant coach for the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team has played its home games in the Sanford Pentagon since the 2013–14 ...

, of the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, starting with the 2005–06 season. Following two seasons, in which the team went 32–19 and 29–19, Tibbetts was promoted to head coach in 2007. He served two seasons in that position and compiled a record of 53–47 with a playoff appearance. In 2009, Tibbetts left the Skyforce for the head job with the

Tulsa 66ers Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa ...

. He served two seasons there and went 64–41 while reaching the playoffs both years. In 2011, he also served as the head coach of Team USA at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

. He joined the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) in the 2011–12 season as assistant coach. He left to become an assistant with the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

in 2013. He served with the Trail Blazers from 2013 to 2021, which including being the associate head coach from 2019 to 2021. During his stint at Portland, he was interviewed several times for vacant head coaching positions, including with the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

and Cleveland Cavaliers. He became an assistant with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

in 2021. In October 2023, Tibbetts was announced as the new head coach of the

of the

(WNBA), becoming the highest-paid coach in WNBA history.

Head coaching record

, - , align="left" ,

PHO Phở or pho (, , ; ) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (), herbs, and meat – usually beef (), and sometimes chicken (). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street-stalls, and rest ...

, align="left" ,

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, 40 , , 19 , , 21 , , , , align="center" , 4th in West, , 2 , , 0 , , 2 , , , align="center" , Lost in First Round , -class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , , , 40 , , 19 , , 21 , , , , , , 2 , , 0 , , 2 , ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tibbetts, Nate 1970s births Living people Point guards Basketball players from South Dakota Basketball coaches from South Dakota South Dakota Coyotes men's basketball players Sioux Falls Cougars men's basketball coaches Sioux Falls Skyforce coaches Tulsa 66ers coaches Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaches Orlando Magic assistant coaches Phoenix Mercury coaches