The entire basketball world is celebrating the retirement of Washington Mystics head coach Mike Thibault after 19 seasons.
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head coach @coachthibault He plans to retire as coach of the Washington Mystics.
The three-time WNBA Coach of the Year, 2019 WNBA Champion and winningest coach in WNBA history will continue to join the Mystics as their general manager.
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โ Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) November 15, 2022
Thibault, 72, will hand over head coaching duties to his son Eric Thibault, who will now join the Mysticsโ front office as general manager. In the press conference announcing his retirement, Thibault paid tribute to the ownership group that believed in his ability to bring Washington its first championship in franchise history.
โWe are forever grateful to Ted Leonsis, Sheila Johnson, and the Monumental Owners Group for the support and resources they gave us to ensure our success,โ Thibault said. โAs well as the lifelong friendships we have built, I am fortunate to have worked with many great players here in D.C. and throughout my career. Iโm excited to be around the groupโ season. โ
Associate head coach Eric Thibault has been promoted to head coach!!@ET_hoopsHe spent 10 seasons on our staff, helping lead the team to eight postseason appearances, and oversaw much of the player development during his four years as an associate. head coach.
โ Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) November 15, 2022
Thibault is part of the WNBAโs Mount Rushmore, and his career speaks for itself. Thibault won 379 games during his career with the Mystics and Connecticut Sun, making him the winningest coach in WNBA history.
Thibault won the prestigious Coach of the Year Award in three of his 19 seasons, in minutes 06, 8 and 13. Although the victories came several times, the epitome of his coaching accomplishments came in his first championship in 2019.
The Mystics went 26-8 that season and were led by 2019 MVP Elena Delle Donne, Christy Tolliver and Emma Measman, to name a few. That big three dominated the final series against Thibaultโs former Sun team. The Mystics made it to the Finals the year before, but lost to the Seattle Storm. Game 5 of the 2019 WNBA Finals was a little more important with Tebow and Washington looking to win their first title.
For Thibault, finally being crowned champion was the greatest honor. His role now is to hope his son has the same success he has had over the past 20 years.
โA special thank you to the amazing staff throughout my time here. I couldnโt have asked for a better teammate on this journey,โ Thibault said. โBasketball has given me so many great coaches and introduced me to so many incredible people, and I owe a lot of credit to them all. After so many years of waiting, when I was promised a championship, We would also like to thank our great fans for believing in us.โ
