Thomas Joseph Thibodeau Jr. ( ; born January 17, 1958), nicknamed "Thibs" ( ), 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 was most recently the head coach for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

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). He served as an assistant coach for the United States men's national team from 2013 to 2016, and helped them win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. As a

defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

coach, he helped the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

rank among the top 5 in the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense from

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, and he has helped his team finish in the league's top 10 in team defense 15 times.Christopher L. Gasper
It all stops with mastermind Thibodeau
''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', June 4, 2008. He was part of the

1999 NBA Finals The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs took on the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks f ...

as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks before joining the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

as a defensive coach. With the Celtics, he won the

2008 NBA Finals The 2008 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2007–08 NBA season, 2007–08 season and conclusion of 2008 NBA playoffs, the season's playoffs. A best-of-seven playoff series that was ...

as well as helping guide them back to the

2010 NBA Finals The 2010 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2009–10 NBA season, 2009–10 season and conclusion of 2010 NBA playoffs, the season's playoffs, held from June 3 to 17, 2010. A best-of ...

. In 2010, he became head coach of the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. He was named the

NBA Coach of the Year The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who l ...

after leading the Bulls to a 62-win season. He was head coach of the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

from 2016 to 2019, before becoming the Knicks' head coach. He won the Coach of the Year award again in 2021 after leading the Knicks to their first playoff berth in eight seasons. In 2025, he led the Knicks to their first conference finals appearance in 25 years, and was fired at the end of the season. He has coached in 214 playoff games as an assistant coach, associate head coach, and head coach.

Early life

Thibodeau was born on January 17, 1958, in

New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol ...

. He attended New Britain High School, where he excelled in basketball.

College career

Thibodeau played basketball at

Salem State College Salem State University (Salem State or SSU) is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore and is p ...

, serving as captain during the 1980–81 season. During his time with the Vikings, the six-foot-two-inch Thibodeau helped Salem State reach consecutive Division III national tournaments (1980, 1981). In 1980, Thibodeau helped Salem State win the league championship and the school's first NCAA Tournament bid.

Coaching career

Salem State (1981–1985)

Upon graduating, he became an assistant coach at the school in 1981. In 1984, at age 25, he became head coach at Salem State after serving three years as an assistant.

Harvard (1985–1989)

One season later he became an assistant coach at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he spent the next four seasons. While coaching in college, Thibodeau attended coaching clinics and visited the practices of many of the top coaches in the U.S., including Hall of Fame coaches Bobby Knight,

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (; born September 18, 1952) is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University (New York City), St. John's University. He was also the head coach of Greece national basketball t ...

Hubie Brown Hubert Jude Brown (born September 25, 1933) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Bas ...

, Gary Williams, Morgan Wootten, and Jim Calhoun. In 1987, Thibodeau befriended Bill Musselman, a former head coach in the NBA, ABA and NCAA who was coaching the

Albany Patroons The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

. According to the ''New York Times'', "the Patroons’ practices, the attention to detail, the efficiency, the sheer number of offensive sets, fed into Thibodeau's addiction."

Minnesota Timberwolves (1989–1991)

After four years at Harvard, he entered the

(NBA) in 1989, as an assistant coach with an

expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

, the

, who had hired Bill Musselman as the team's first head coach. Prior to the 1991–92 season, he joined the Seattle SuperSonics as an advance scout.

San Antonio Spurs (1992–1994)

Thibodeau moved to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

the following season, where he worked as an assistant coach to

Jerry Tarkanian Jerry Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Reb ...

, Rex Hughes and John Lucas for two seasons.

Philadelphia 76ers (1994–1996)

After the 1993–94 season, he left the Spurs along with Lucas to become an assistant under Lucas with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

New York Knicks (1996–2003)

After the 1995–96 season, he again left simultaneously with Lucas, this time joining the

as an assistant to head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who later said that Thibodeau was the best coach on the staff, even better than Van Gundy. During his tenure with the Knicks, Thibodeau helped the team set a then-NBA record by holding 33 consecutive opponents under 100 points in the 2000–01 season. As part of the Knicks coaching staff, he also helped Van Gundy coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2000 All-Star Game. He spent seven years with the Knicks.

Houston Rockets (2003–2007)

Thibodeau joined the

prior to the 2003–04 season, where again he was an assistant to head coach Van Gundy, who has described Thibodeau as "brilliant".

Boston Celtics (2007–2010)

On August 30, 2007, Thibodeau was named associate head coach of the

, who hoped his hiring would bolster their defense. Eventually, he helped the Celtics become the best defensive team in the league. On November 4, 2007, Thibodeau took over head coaching duties against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

in place of

Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NB ...

, who was unable to coach due to the death of his father earlier that day. During the 2008 playoffs, Thibodeau was rumored to be a candidate for the vacant head coaching job with the

, for whom he had worked as an assistant coach for seven years, as well as the

, but he was not hired by either. Thibodeau led the Celtics to the best rating in several defensive categories in 2007–08, and was a key factor in containing

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

during the 2008 Finals, which the Celtics won, earning Thibodeau his first NBA Championship.

Chicago Bulls (2010–2015)

On June 2, 2010, Thibodeau interviewed with officials from the

for their vacant head coach position. On June 23, he was confirmed as the Bulls' head coach. Thibodeau was named the

on May 1, 2011, after tying the record for most wins by a rookie head coach with 62. He also led the Bulls to their first 50-win season and first division title since the

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

era. The Bulls lost the Eastern Conference finals to the

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

. On February 14, 2012, Thibodeau clinched the position of Eastern Conference coach for the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

in Orlando. At the time, the Bulls were first in the Eastern Conference. With a win over 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 ...

on March 19, 2012, Thibodeau became the fastest coach in NBA history to earn 100 career victories. He accomplished this in 130 games, one game fewer than the record set previously by Avery Johnson in 2006. Thibodeau and the Bulls were the East's top seed entering the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

and also had the league's best regular-season record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. In Game 1 of the Bulls' first-round series against the

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 ...

Derrick Rose tore his ACL. Commenting on Thibodeau's decision to leave Rose in the game, Bulls

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Gar Forman stated, "There is absolutely no issue there. It's a playoff game. They had cut a lead down (from 20) to 12. We're going to have our guys on the floor making sure we win the game. Tom is a terrific coach who does a lot of things well. One of the best things he does is pace our team." Thibodeau finished second to

Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball executive and former coach who is the president for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the List of current NBA head co ...

of the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 NBA Coach of the Year voting. The Bulls' season was cut short after a 4–2 defeat by the 76ers. 20140814 World Basketball Festival Team USA assistant coaches

20140814 World Basketball Festival Team USA assistant coaches

Rose missed the entire 2012–13 season, but despite his absence, the Bulls finished 45–37, second in the Central Division (behind the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

) and 5th in their conference. They defeated the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

4–3 (after leading 3–1) in the first round of the playoffs and lost to the Miami Heat 4–1 in the next round. On May 13, 2013, Thibodeau was fined $35,000 for defending his players while commenting on the seemingly inadequate foul calls by the referees during the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat. Thibodeau finished third in 2014 NBA Coach of the Year voting. He led the Bulls, without Rose for the second straight year, to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls' season ended with a 4–1 series loss to the fifth-seeded

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

. Tension between the Bulls' front office and Thibodeau grew considerably over the 2014–15 season, which ended in a six-game series loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Shortly thereafter, on May 28, 2015, the Bulls decided to move in a different direction and let go of Thibodeau.

USA Basketball

Thibodeau was named on June 10, 2013, an assistant coach for the 2013–16

United States men's national basketball team The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as Team USA and the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. It is the most successful men's team in international competition, ...

. As a member of the 2014–16 USA Basketball Men's National Team coach staff, Thibodeau assisted the US to a sterling overall record of 26–0. The USA finished 9–0 to win the gold medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, while the 2014 USA National Team compiled a 4–0 record during its exhibition tour before the World Cup. Two years later, Thibodeau was again on the USA bench and helped lead the U.S. to the 2016 Olympic championship as the Americans rolled to an 8–0 record and the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Before heading to Rio, the 2016 USA National Team posted a 5–0 record during its domestic exhibition tour. Head coach

Mike Krzyzewski Michael William Krzyzewski ( , ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980–81 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, 1980 to 2021� ...

heaped enormous praise on Thibodeau, who served as his right-hand man during the victories. "Tom is one of the great coaches on this planet," Krzyzewski said. "To be honest, he talked to the team more than I did," said Krzyzewski.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2016–2019)

On April 20, 2016, it was announced that the

had hired Thibodeau as head coach and president of basketball operations. The Timberwolves had spent the better part of a decade in NBA purgatory, having not made the playoffs since 2004,

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power f ...

’s lone MVP season. In his second season, the Timberwolves made their first playoff appearance in 14 years, losing in the

First round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

to the top-seeded

in five games. The Timberwolves had a tumultuous off season involving the exit of Jimmy Butler from Minnesota. Thibodeau would be released from the Timberwolves in January 2019 after a period of regression following the end of the playoff drought.

New York Knicks (2020–2025)

On July 30, 2020, the

announced that they hired Thibodeau as their head coach. In the shortened 2020–21 season, his first as head coach of the Knicks, Thibodeau guided the Knicks to their first playoff appearance since the 2012–13 season. After the season Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. During his stint in New York, Thibodeau was widely credited with returning the recently struggling franchise to regular playoff contention, including leading the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years in

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

. Despite that playoff run, which included eliminating the defending champion

4–2 in the Semi-Finals, Thibodeau was relieved of his duties on June 3, 2025.

Head coaching record

College

NBA

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Coaching style

In his five years as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, the franchise was 255–139 ( winning percentage), and led the league in close-game winning percentage at (66–40). Thibodeau has been compared to successful NFL coach Bill Belichick because of his attention to detail, organization, and game planning. “ hibodeauwas meticulously organized, almost scary organized, and he reminded me of Bill Belichick. I’ve spent a lot of time with Belichick and Thibodeau’s got a lot of the same mannerisms, the same attention to detail that Belichick has. And that’s about the highest compliment I could give someone," said Hall of Fame basketball coach

. " hibodeau isvery similar to Bill Belichick if you ever to go to a Bill Belichick practice,” said former NBA player Brian Scalabrine. “Every smallest detail of his practice is talked about. Every pass has to be seamed. Every shot has to be quick and balanced. Every pick-and-roll you have to come off shoulder-to-hip,” said Scalabrine. He has been called "one of the best coaches in the NBA", sometimes ranking among the top five coaches in the league among NBA general managers. He was ranked 13th best coach in 2017 by ESPN, despite the Timberwolves finishing outside of playoff contention. Highly regarded as a defensive strategist, in January 2013, ESPN praised Thibodeau's defensive system as "the pinnacle of team defensive strategy in the NBA." However, according to a 2010 Boston Globe article, "one of the many misconceptions about Thibodeau is that he’s strictly a defensive specialist." Jeff Van Gundy hired Thibodeau because he was drawn to "his innovative offensive sets" and "player development skills."

Player development

Thibodeau has been described as a "no-nonsense coach, but his personal authenticity and the success of his strategies endear him to his players." According to

, who played for Thibodeau in Boston, Thibodeau is "a worker. He's a guy that loves his job. He does it with passion." Thibodeau also helped develop a young

. " hibodeauwas crucial o my development He was with me when I was 16 or 17 years old," Bryant said in 2010. "Just doing drills and just working on ballhandling and just teaching me the game. He was there from Day 1." In 2005, while an assistant with the Houston Rockets, Thibodeau began working with

Yao Ming Yao Ming ( zh, c=姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Baske ...

, traveling to China to hone Yao's skills. According to Jon Barry, a former NBA player who worked as an assistant with the Rockets, "Thibodeau was an effective one-on-one teacher ho spentcountless hours ... working with Yao Ming on his footwork...." Also, former Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy praised Thibodeau for his development of Yao. "Tom was tremendous in developing a routine that Yao could follow — a blueprint to take him from being good to being great,” said Van Gundy. During the 2004–05 season, Yao averaged 18.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The following season, after working with Thibodeau, Yao averaged 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds. A number of Thibodeau's former players have praised him for his ability to develop their talent. According to Joakim Noah, who played for Thibodeau and finished 4th in MVP voting with the Bulls in 2014, "I feel like I really improved as a player because of him." Rose, who became the youngest MVP in league history under Thibodeau, also had similar praise for his former coach, telling the Detroit News, “I figured out that Thibs loved me unconditionally. He’s the first coach up here that I felt like loved me unconditionally and it wasn’t about what I did for him."

Personal life

A native of

, Thibodeau was born to Thomas J. Thibodeau Sr., and Ann M. (Montanile) Thibodeau and has four siblings (two brothers and two sisters). He graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree and a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of c ...

from Salem State University. In 1998, he was inducted into the ''New Britain Sports

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

''. Thibodeau has never been married.Greenstein, Teddy

ChicagoTribune.com, May 14, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2011. According to a 2012 ''New York Times'' profile, Thibodeau was engaged while he was in graduate school at Salem State, but the marriage was called off six weeks before the scheduled wedding. The same article focused on Thibodeau's obsessive focus on basketball as the reason he has never had the time or attention to have much of a personal life, marriage included.

References

External links

NBA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thibodeau, Tom 1958 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Connecticut Basketball players from Connecticut Boston Celtics assistant coaches Chicago Bulls head coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Harvard Crimson men's basketball coaches Houston Rockets assistant coaches Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coaches Minnesota Timberwolves head coaches New York Knicks assistant coaches New York Knicks head coaches Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches Salem State Vikings men's basketball coaches Salem State Vikings men's basketball players San Antonio Spurs assistant coaches Sportspeople from New Britain, Connecticut 20th-century American sportsmen