During his time with the Vikings, the six-foot-two-inch Thibodeau helped Salem State to consecutive Division III national tournaments (1980, 1981).

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.

[7] 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.

[7] On August 30, 2007, Thibodeau was named associate head coach of the Boston Celtics,[8][9][10] who hoped his hiring would bolster their defense.

[19] With a win over the Orlando Magic on March 19, 2012, Thibodeau became the fastest coach in NBA history to earn 100 career victories.

[21] In Game 1 of the Bulls' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, point guard Derrick Rose tore his ACL.

[22] Commenting on Thibodeau's decision to leave Rose in the game, Bulls general manager Gar Forman stated, "There is absolutely no issue there.

"[23] Thibodeau finished second to Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 NBA Coach of the Year voting.

[24] 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) and 5th in their conference.

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.

[26] 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.

[27] Thibodeau was named on June 10, 2013, an assistant coach for the 2013–16 United States men's national basketball team.

[3] 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.

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.

[3] Head coach Mike Krzyzewski heaped enormous praise on Thibodeau, who served as his right-hand man during the victories.

In his second season, the Timberwolves made their first playoff appearance in 14 years, losing in the First round to the top-seeded Houston Rockets in five games.

[35] During his stint in New York, Thibodeau has been widely credited with returning the recently struggling franchise to regular playoff contention.

Thibodeau has been compared to legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick because of his attention to detail, organization, and game planning.

Jeff Van Gundy hired Thibodeau because he was drawn to "his innovative offensive sets" and "player development skills.

[44] According to Jon Barry, a former NBA player who worked as an assistant with the Rockets, "Thibodeau was an effective one-on-one teacher [who spent] countless hours ... working with Yao Ming on his footwork...."[45] 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.

"[46] 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.

[49] 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.