Tom Thibodeau life and biography

Tom Thibodeau is an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. He previously served as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics.

A veteran of 20 years along the NBA sidelines, Tom Thibodeau was named the 18th head coach in franchise history on June 23, 2010 .

Thibodeau served the last three seasons as the Associate Head Coach of the Boston Celtics, where the Celtics made two trips to the NBA Finals and won the 2008 NBA Championship … during his 21 years in the NBA, his teams have won .530 of their games (896-794) in the regular season and have won .527 of their postseason contests (88-79) … his teams have advanced to the NBA postseason 14 times, including three trips to the NBA Finals (1999, 2008 and 2010) … he implemented and oversaw Boston’s defensive principles during his time on Doc Rivers’ staff … in 2007-08, his first year with the Celtics, Boston held its opponents to 90.3 ppg, an improvement of 8.9 ppg from the previous season, and limited its foes to an NBA-low .419 field goal shooting, down from .468 the year before … during Boston’s 2008 playoff run that culminated in the franchise’s NBA-record 17th world championship, the Celtics held the Los Angeles Lakers to 93.8 ppg and .441 field-goal shooting in the NBA Finals (L.A. averaged 102.4 ppg and shot .468 from the field in the 2008 playoffs) … he has helped his teams rank in the NBA’s top 10 in team defense 16 times, including finishing in the top two in opponent field goal percentage 10 times … his teams have ranked in the top two in opponent scoring six times … he has also coached for the Minnesota Timberwolves (1989-91), the San Antonio Spurs (1992-94), the Philadelphia 76ers (1994-96), the New York Knicks (1996-2003) and the Houston Rockets (2003-07) … he spent the 1991-92 season as an advance scout with the Seattle SuperSonics … while serving as an assistant coach in the NBA, he has worked under Bill Musselman, Jerry Tarkanian, John Lucas, Jeff Van Gundy, Don Chaney and Doc Rivers .

In 2000-01 with New York, the Knicks established a then-NBA record when they held 33 consecutive opponents to under 100 points … he was a four-year letter winner in basketball at Salem State University (Salem, Mass.) … he was team captain his senior season, and a member of back-to-back MASCAC Conference Champion squads in 1980 and 1981 (the first two basketball teams in school history to qualify for the Division III NCAA Tournament) … in 1981, upon completion of his collegiate career, he took his first coaching job as an assistant on the Vikings staff … following three years as an assistant, he was promoted to head coach at Salem State University, a position he held for one season … in 1985, he was hired as an assistant coach at Harvard University, where he spent four seasons on campus, before accepting a spot on Bill Musselman’s coaching staff with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves in 1989 … Thibodeau, 52, was born in New Britain, Conn., on Jan. 17, 1958 … he holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in counseling from Salem State University … he was inducted into the New Britain Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

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