The entire basketball world celebrated Washington Mystics coach Mike Thibault’s retirement after 19 seasons.
𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗗
Head Coach @coachtibolt He is retiring as head coach of the Washington Mystics.
The three-time WNBA Coach of the Year, 2019 WNBA champion and winningest coach in WNBA history will continue as general manager of the Mystics.
https://t.co/vGX6a2DCci pic.twitter.com/saMvZOJ6ty
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) November 15, 2022
Thibault, 72, will hand over the managerial duties to his son, Eric Thibault, and will now join the Mystics’ front office as general manager. In a press conference announcing his retirement, Thibault credited the group of owners who believed in his ability to lead Washington to its first championship in franchise history.
“I will be forever grateful to Ted Leonsis, Sheila Johnson and the Monumental ownership group for providing us with the support and resources to succeed,” Thibault said. “In addition to the lifelong friendships we’ve formed, I’ve been blessed to work with many great players throughout my career at DC and am excited to be back with a great core group this season.”
Head Coach Eric Thibault has been promoted to Head Coach!!@ET_hoopsHe spent 10 seasons on our staff, leading the team to eight postseason appearances and overseeing extensive player development for four years as an assistant head coach.
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) November 15, 2022
Thibault is a Mount Rushmore of WNBA personalities, and her resume speaks for itself. Thibault is the winningest coach in WNBA history with 379 wins with the Mystics and Connecticut Sun.
Thibault has won the prestigious Coach of the Year award in three of his 19 seasons, in 2006, 2008 and 2013. While the awards have come and gone, the epitome of his coaching legacy came with his first championship in 2019.
The Mystics went 26-8 that season, led by 2019 MVP Elena Delle Donne, Kristi Toliver and Emma Meesseman. That Big Three dominated the Finals series against Thibault’s former Sun team. The Mystics had reached the Finals the year before but were swept by the Seattle Storm. Game 5 of the 2019 WNBA Finals had a little more meaning as a backdrop for Thibault and Washington’s quest for their first championship.
It was a bonus that Thibault was finally crowned champion. Now it was his job to hope his son could achieve the same success he had over the past 20 years.
“A special thank you to the great staff that has been with me during my time here. I couldn’t ask for better teammates on this journey,” Thibault said. “I’ve had so many great mentors and met so many incredible people because of the game of basketball. I’m grateful to them all. I’m also grateful to the great fans who believed in us when we promised to win a championship after such a long wait.”
