Joe Mazzulla has been confirmed as the Boston Celtics’ 19th head coach in franchise history, removing the interim tag and handing the 34-year-old a permanent title.
Mazzulla was named interim head coach following Ime Udoka’s suspension in October and has led the Celtics to the NBA’s best record (42-17) at the All-Star break.
After attending West Virginia University and going undrafted in 2011, Mazzulla began his coaching career as an assistant at Glenville State from 2011-13.
Mazzulla then went on to work as an assistant with Boston’s NBA G League affiliate Maine Celtics before taking the head coach job at Fairmont State and later landed an assistant role under Brad Stevens in 2019.
The terms of Mazzulla’s new deal are yet to be released, but the Celtics confirmed he has also received a contract extension in a statement from Stevens on Thursday.
“As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader,” said president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
“He has a unique ability to galvanize a room around a mission. We are thankful for the work he has done to help get us to this point, and excited that he has agreed to lead us into the future.”
Joe Mazzulla is officially the 19th Head Coach in franchise history 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/LMcTLS1u0m
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 16, 2023
Joe Mazzulla leads Celtics to NBA’s best record at All-Star break
The 34-year-old will take charge of Team Giannis during the All-Star game, joining Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Salt Lake City, Utah for the weekend.
According to NBA betting sites, the Celtics are +325 favorites to win a record 18th Larry O’Brien trophy in June – ahead of the Phoenix Suns (+400), Milwaukee Bucks (+400) and Denver Nuggets (+750).
Mazzulla inherited a competitive and highly talented roster from Ime Udoka that took the Golden State Warriors to six games in the NBA Finals last year before falling at the final hurdle.
As it stands, Boston have the best odds to win a ring this year and boast arguably the deepest roster in the NBA – Malcolm Brogdon leads the Sixth Man of the Year race with 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Content You May Like
