Tom Thibodeau is a professional basketball coach.  In 1980, Thibodeau helped Salem State to the league championship and the school's first NCAA Tournament bid. 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.

He served as an assistant coach for the United States men's national basketball team from 2013 to 2016, and helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. As a defensive coach, he helped the Houston Rockets rank among the Top 5 in the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense from 2004 to 2007, and he has helped his team finish in the league's Top 10 in team defense 15 times. He has coached in 214 playoff games as an assistant coach, associate head coach, and head coach. Also, he was part of the 1999 NBA Finals as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks before joining the Boston Celtics, with whom he won the 2008 NBA Finals as well as helping guide them back to the 2010 NBA Finals, serving as a defensive coach. In 2011, he was named the NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Chicago Bulls to a 62-win season, and would win the award again in 2021 after leading the Knicks to their first playoff berth in eight seasons. 

For several years Theus served as a studio analyst for Turner Sports and the Los Angeles Lakers. Theus was one of the original panelists on The Best Damn Sports Show Period.