Tom Thibodeau facts for kids
Thibodeau as head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 2011
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 17, 1958 New Britain, Connecticut, U.S. |
| High school | New Britain (New Britain, Connecticut) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Career information | |
| College | Salem State (1977–1981) |
| Coaching career | 1981–present |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 1981–1984 | Salem State (assistant) |
| 1984–1985 | Salem State |
| 1985–1989 | Harvard (assistant) |
| 1989–1991 | Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant) |
| 1992–1994 | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) |
| 1994–1996 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
| 1996–2003 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
| 2003–2007 | Houston Rockets (assistant) |
| 2007–2010 | Boston Celtics (associate HC) |
| 2010–2015 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2016–2019 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2020–2025 | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
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Tom Thibodeau (born January 17, 1958) is a famous American basketball coach. People often call him "Thibs". He was most recently the head coach for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Thibodeau also helped the U.S. men's national team as an assistant coach from 2013 to 2016. He even helped them win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games.
He is known for being a great defensive coach. He helped the Houston Rockets be one of the top teams in defense from 2004 to 2007. His teams have finished in the top 10 for defense 15 times! He was part of the New York Knicks coaching staff that reached the 1999 NBA Finals. Later, with the Boston Celtics, he won the 2008 NBA Finals and helped them get back to the 2010 NBA Finals.
In 2010, he became the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. He was named the NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Bulls to 62 wins. He coached the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2016 to 2019. Then, he became the Knicks' head coach. He won the Coach of the Year award again in 2021. This was after leading the Knicks to their first playoff spot in eight years. In 2025, he led the Knicks to the conference finals for the first time in 25 years. He has coached in 214 playoff games as an assistant, associate, and head coach.
Contents
- Early Life and College Basketball
- Tom Thibodeau's Coaching Journey
- Starting at Salem State (1981–1985)
- Moving to Harvard (1985–1989)
- First NBA Steps (1989–1996)
- Seven Years with the New York Knicks (1996–2003)
- Houston Rockets (2003–2007)
- Boston Celtics (2007–2010)
- Leading the Chicago Bulls (2010–2015)
- Coaching for Team USA (2013–2016)
- Return to Minnesota (2016–2019)
- Leading the New York Knicks (2020–2025)
- Head Coaching Record
- Thibodeau's Coaching Style
- Helping Players Grow
- Personal Life
- See also
Early Life and College Basketball
Tom Thibodeau was born on January 17, 1958, in New Britain, Connecticut. He played basketball at New Britain High School, where he was a great player.
He continued playing basketball at Salem State College. He was the team captain during the 1980–81 season. Tom helped Salem State reach the Division III national tournaments in 1980 and 1981. In 1980, his team won the league championship and made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Tom Thibodeau's Coaching Journey
Starting at Salem State (1981–1985)
After college, Tom became an assistant coach at Salem State in 1981. In 1984, when he was just 25, he became the head coach there. He had been an assistant for three years.
Moving to Harvard (1985–1989)
One year later, he became an assistant coach at Harvard University. He stayed there for four seasons.
While coaching in college, Thibodeau learned from many top coaches. He went to coaching clinics and watched practices of famous coaches. These included Bobby Knight and Rick Pitino. In 1987, he became friends with Bill Musselman, a former NBA coach. Thibodeau loved how Musselman's team, the Albany Patroons, paid attention to every small detail.
First NBA Steps (1989–1996)
In 1989, Thibodeau joined the National Basketball Association (NBA). He became an assistant coach for the new Minnesota Timberwolves team. Bill Musselman was their first head coach. Before the 1991–92 season, he worked as a scout for the Seattle SuperSonics.
The next season, he moved to the San Antonio Spurs. He was an assistant coach there for two seasons. After the 1993–94 season, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach.
Seven Years with the New York Knicks (1996–2003)
After the 1995–96 season, Thibodeau joined the New York Knicks. He became an assistant to head coach Jeff Van Gundy. Van Gundy later said that Thibodeau was the best coach on his staff.
During his time with the Knicks, Thibodeau helped the team set an NBA record. They held 33 opponents in a row to under 100 points in the 2000–01 season. He also helped coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2000 NBA All-Star Game. He spent seven years with the Knicks.
Houston Rockets (2003–2007)
Thibodeau joined the Houston Rockets before the 2003–04 season. Again, he was an assistant to head coach Jeff Van Gundy. Van Gundy called Thibodeau "brilliant."
Boston Celtics (2007–2010)
_sits_on_the_sidelines_with_assistant_coaches_Tom_Thibodeau_(right)_and_Armond_Hill_(left)_in_Game_4_of_the_2008_NBA_Playoffs_against_the_Atlanta_Hawks.jpg)
On August 30, 2007, Thibodeau became the associate head coach of the Boston Celtics. The team hoped he would make their defense stronger. He helped the Celtics become the best defensive team in the league. On November 4, 2007, Thibodeau even coached a game against the Toronto Raptors. This was because head coach Doc Rivers was away due to a family loss.
Thibodeau helped the Celtics have the best defense in the 2007–08 season. He was key in stopping Kobe Bryant during the 2008 NBA Finals. The Celtics won the championship, giving Thibodeau his first NBA title.
Leading the Chicago Bulls (2010–2015)
On June 23, 2010, Tom Thibodeau became the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. On May 1, 2011, he was named the NBA Coach of the Year. He tied the record for most wins by a rookie head coach with 62 wins. He also led the Bulls to their first 50-win season and division title since the Michael Jordan era. The Bulls lost in the Eastern Conference finals to the Miami Heat.
On February 14, 2012, Thibodeau was chosen to coach the Eastern Conference team in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. At that time, the Bulls were first in the Eastern Conference.
With a win on March 19, 2012, Thibodeau became the fastest coach in NBA history to reach 100 career victories. He did it in 130 games, which was one game faster than the old record. The Bulls were the top team in the East for the playoffs.
In the first playoff game, Bulls star Derrick Rose got a serious knee injury. Some people wondered why Rose was still in the game. But the Bulls' general manager said there was "absolutely no issue." He explained that in a playoff game, you keep your best players on the court to win. The Bulls lost the series 4–2.
Rose missed the entire 2012–13 season. Even without him, the Bulls finished with 45 wins. They won their first playoff series but lost to the Miami Heat.
In 2014, Thibodeau led the Bulls to a strong record again, even without Rose. The Bulls' season ended with a 4–1 loss to the Washington Wizards.
There were some disagreements between the Bulls' management and Thibodeau. After the 2014–15 season, the Bulls decided to move in a different direction. On May 28, 2015, Thibodeau left the team.
Coaching for Team USA (2013–2016)
On June 10, 2013, Thibodeau was named an assistant coach for the United States men's national basketball team. From 2014 to 2016, he helped the U.S. team win every game they played, with a record of 26–0. They won the gold medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain. Two years later, Thibodeau helped lead the U.S. to the 2016 Olympic championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski praised Thibodeau a lot. He said, "Tom is one of the great coaches on this planet." Krzyzewski even said Thibodeau talked to the team more than he did!
Return to Minnesota (2016–2019)
On April 20, 2016, the Minnesota Timberwolves hired Thibodeau as their head coach and president of basketball operations. The Timberwolves had not been to the playoffs since 2004. In his second season, the Timberwolves made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. They lost in the first round to the Houston Rockets. Thibodeau left the Timberwolves in January 2019.
Leading the New York Knicks (2020–2025)
On July 30, 2020, the New York Knicks announced they hired Thibodeau as their head coach. In his first season, the 2020–21 season, Thibodeau led the Knicks to their first playoff appearance since the 2012–13 season. After that season, Thibodeau won Coach of the Year for the second time.
During his time in New York, Thibodeau was praised for making the team competitive again. He led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years in 2025. They even beat the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, in the Semi-Finals. Despite this great playoff run, Thibodeau was fired on June 3, 2025.
Head Coaching Record
College
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem State Vikings (Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference) (1984–1985) | |||||||||
| 1984–85 | Salem State | 9–17 | 4–8 | 7th | |||||
| Salem State: | 9–17 | 4–8 | |||||||
| Total: | 9–17 | ||||||||
NBA
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 2010–11 | 82 | 62 | 20 | .756 | 1st in Central | 16 | 9 | 7 | .563 | Lost in conference finals |
| Chicago | 2011–12 | 66 | 50 | 16 | .758 | 1st in Central | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round |
| Chicago | 2012–13 | 82 | 45 | 37 | .549 | 2nd in Central | 12 | 5 | 7 | .417 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Chicago | 2013–14 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2nd in Central | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in first round |
| Chicago | 2014–15 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2nd in Central | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Minnesota | 2016–17 | 82 | 31 | 51 | .378 | 5th in Northwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Minnesota | 2017–18 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 4th in Northwest | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in first round |
| Minnesota | 2018–19 | 40 | 19 | 21 | .475 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| New York | 2020–21 | 72 | 41 | 31 | .569 | 3rd in Atlantic | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in first round |
| New York | 2021–22 | 82 | 37 | 45 | .451 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| New York | 2022–23 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 3rd in Atlantic | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| New York | 2023–24 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2nd in Atlantic | 13 | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost in conference semifinals |
| New York | 2024–25 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2nd in Atlantic | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | Lost in conference finals |
| Career | 998 | 578 | 420 | .579 | 103 | 48 | 55 | .466 | |||
Thibodeau's Coaching Style
Tom Thibodeau is known for his amazing attention to detail. He is very organized and plans games carefully. Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino compared him to successful NFL coach Bill Belichick. Pitino said Thibodeau has "a lot of the same mannerisms, the same attention to detail."
Former NBA player Brian Scalabrine also said Thibodeau is like Bill Belichick. He explained that in Thibodeau's practices, "Every smallest detail... is talked about." This means every pass, shot, and play is practiced perfectly.
Thibodeau is considered one of the best coaches in the NBA. He is especially good at defense. In 2013, ESPN called his defensive system "the best team defensive strategy in the NBA." However, he is not just a defensive coach. Jeff Van Gundy hired him because he liked Thibodeau's "innovative offensive sets" and how he helped players improve.
Helping Players Grow
Thibodeau is a serious coach, but players like him because he is real and his strategies work. Kevin Garnett, who played for him, said Thibodeau "loves his job" and does it with passion. Thibodeau also helped a young Kobe Bryant develop his skills. Kobe said Thibodeau was "crucial" to his growth, teaching him the game from a young age.
In 2005, when he was an assistant with the Houston Rockets, Thibodeau worked with Yao Ming. He even traveled to China to help Yao improve. Former NBA player Jon Barry said Thibodeau spent "countless hours" working with Yao on his footwork. Jeff Van Gundy also praised Thibodeau for helping Yao become a great player. After working with Thibodeau, Yao's points and rebounds per game increased a lot.
Many of Thibodeau's former players say he helped them get better. Joakim Noah, who played for the Bulls, said, "I feel like I really improved as a player because of him." Derrick Rose, who became the youngest MVP in league history under Thibodeau, also praised him. Rose said, "Thibs loved me unconditionally. He’s the first coach up here that I felt like loved me unconditionally."
Personal Life
Tom Thibodeau was born in New Britain, Connecticut. He earned two degrees from Salem State University. In 1998, he was honored in the New Britain Sports Hall of Fame.
Thibodeau has always been very focused on basketball. This dedication is a big part of who he is.
See also
In Spanish: Tom Thibodeau para niños
- List of NBA Coach of the Year Award winners
- List of NBA championship head coaches
