Michael Francis Thibault (born September 28, 1950) is an American basketball head coach and basketball general manager. He is the head coach of the Belgian women's national basketball team Belgian Cats since 2025. Before he coached the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA,[1] and the Washington Mystics.[2] In 2013, Thibault became the all-time WNBA leader with his 212th head-coaching victory.[3]
In 1989, Thibault began an eight-year stint as general manager and head coach of the Omaha Racers of the Continental Basketball Association, in which capacity he led the team to the league playoffs in each season; his team claimed the 1993 championship and once more reached the league finals one year thence.
On December 18, 2012, Thibault was introduced as the new head coach & general manager of the Washington Mystics. He led a revival of the team, getting them to the playoffs and earning a win there for the first time since 2004. For his efforts, Thibault once again earned the Coach of the Year award, joining Van Chancellor as the only coaches to win the award three times.[6][7]
On July 7, 2018, when the Mystics beat the Los Angeles Sparks, Thibault became the first WNBA coach to reach 300 wins.[8]
In 2019, Thibault finally won his first WNBA championship as a head coach. He guided the Mystics to the team's first-ever championship in the 2019 WNBA Finals, as they defeated the Connecticut Sun. After the 2022 season, Thibault retired as head coach of the Mystics but remained general manager. His son, Eric, succeeded him as head coach.[9] Both were relieved of their duties on October 23, 2024, following the WNBA season.[10]
Basketball
USA
Thibault in 2011
Thibault served as an assistant coach for the USA National team in 2006, a team in transition. Lisa Leslie, who had led the team in scoring in the 2004 Olympics, the 2002 World Championships, the 2000 Olympics, the 1998 World Championships, and the 1996 Olympics was no longer on the team. Sheryl Swoopes was available but hampered by injuries, with Staley transitioning from player to coach. Newcomers Sue Bird, Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi picked up the slack, but it was a team in transition. As an additional challenge, some members of the squad were unable to join the team for practices due to WNBA commitments. The team started out strong, winning each of the six preliminary games, including the game against Russia. In the quarterfinals, the USA team beat Spain 90–56. The semifinal was a rematch against Russia, but this time the Russian team prevailed, 75–68. The USA faced Brazil in the bronze medal game, and won easily 99–59.[11]
Thibault and his wife, Nanci, have two children. Their son, Eric, succeeded his father as head coach of the Mystics, serving in that role from 2023 to 2024. Their daughter, Carly, was named head coach at Fairfield University on April 11, 2022.[12]
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