Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazulla called the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award “stupid” in March. On Tuesday night, he became only the 4th coach in Celtics history to win the honor.
Mazzulla beat out Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff and San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson for the honor; which he says belongs to his assistant coaches.
“Thank you to the Lord for the platform he has given me, and to my wife and family who support me on this journey,” Mazzulla said in a statement. “Thank you to our players who compete and give it everything they have each night. I am grateful for every member of the Celtics organization whose dedication impacts winning every day. This award belongs to our staff, who are there for the guys every day. Their relentless work ethic improves our team daily. This award should be named Staff of the Year.”
The Celtics played most of this season without Jayson Tatum and were expected by some to be a fall-back-to-the-pack team this season because of Tatum’s injury and the departures of players like Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
“This is well deserved recognition and a testament to both Joe and his staff,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. “With all of our unknowns entering the season, Joe did a fantastic job building and growing a team. He pours everything he has into competing at a high level, while helping players find the best versions of themselves within the framework of a team. On top of all of that, Joe leads with an authentic care for the Celtics and everyone he works with - players, coaches, and staff.”
Mazzulla owns a 238-90 regular-season record and has gone 36-21 in the playoffs since taking over as head coach before the 2023 season.
Mazzulla is the first Celtics coach to take home the honor since Bill Fitch in 1980. Hall of Famers Red Auerbach, for whom the award is named after, and Tommy Heinsohn also won the award during their time on the Celtics bench.
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