FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2019, file photo, Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau smiles in the waning moments as his team defeats the Orlando Magic in an NBA basketball game in Minneapolis. Thibodeau is back in New York as the KnicksÄô new coach. The former NBA Coach of the Year was hired Thursday, July 30,2020, returning to the team he helped lead to the NBA Finals as an assistant coach. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) Credit: AP/Jim Mone
When Tom Thibodeau was coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves he never brought the long-struggling franchise to a championship, but he did get the team a White House tour thanks to his friendship with the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at that time, President Barack Obama.