Interim tag removed from Mazzulla
Becomes 19th head coach in team history
Upon being thrust suddenly as the Celtics’ interim head coach in September, in the wake of Ime Udoka’s suspension, uncertainty followed Joe Mazzulla.
Even as Mazzulla led the Celtics to the best start in the NBA, it persisted. The interim tag remained, and the cloud of Udoka and an unresolved situation loomed over him. In early November, when Udoka nearly left to become the coach of the Brooklyn Nets but ultimately stayed, Mazzulla brushed off any distractions it created, even if his future was undecided.
“It will figure itself out,” Mazzulla said then.
On Thursday, clarity was reached. As they enter the All-Star break with the best record in the NBA, the Celtics announced that they have removed the interim tag on Mazzulla and made him the permanent head coach. They also gave him a contract extension, though terms of the deal were not disclosed. The decision means Udoka — who was serving a season-long suspension for violations of team policies, reportedly for having an improper relationship with a team employee — will not return to the Celtics.
Less than two months remain in the regular season, and Udoka’s suspension was set to run out on June 30. But the Celtics saw enough to move forward with Mazzulla now, and they wanted to remove all doubt as they hit the stretch run toward the playoffs and their pursuit of a championship.
“I want to give them the opportunity to finish the regular season strong, hopefully the postseason
strong and not be in a cloud of uncertainty,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said. “I think that they certainly have earned that and, Joe specifically, has just done a great job. … We were not only really comfortable with it, we’re also really excited about him leading us now and into the future. …
“It all goes back to the idea of now, going into the playoffs, we’re going to be in battles. Like it’s going to be really hard,” Stevens added. “The East is terrific, obviously. The West is loaded up. It’s going to be really hard to win and the hardest thing to do would be coaching, looking behind you and looking over your shoulder. It’s about looking forward and if you’re in a Game 7, know that everybody in the organization believes in you and that uncertainty erases. Like you’ve earned that, and so I thought that was really important.”
Mazzulla said discussions about his promotion to head coach and contract extension began on Tuesday in Milwaukee and were completed shortly after Wednesday’s win over the Pistons. The 34-yearold Mazzulla — the youngest head coach in the NBA who was an assistant at this time last season — was starting to soak it in Thursday after landing in Utah to coach in Sunday’s All-Star Game.
“It is pretty wild,” Mazzulla said. “A lot going on, but … I’m just grateful. Grateful that not many people get an opportunity to experience this, especially in the manner that I am with the players that I’m able to coach and the people I’m able to work for, and it’s for the Celtics. It is a dream come true, for sure.”
Stevens declined to get into details of Udoka’s situation, and how a path was cleared to cut ties with him
and make Mazzulla the head coach.
Thursday’s announcement to make Mazzulla the Celtics’ 19th head coach in franchise history comes during a wildly impressive season for the rookie coach, who was given the job in September under difficult circumstances. Just days before training camp began, Udoka was suspended and Mazzulla — whose only head-coaching experience came at Division 2 college Fairmont from 2017-19 — was tabbed to lead a group that was the favorite to win the NBA championship, just a few months after Udoka led them to the NBA Finals.
But Mazzulla, who had been a Celtics assistant since 2019 and was Stevens’ lone holdover when Udoka was named the coach in 2021, had already developed trust and respect from the players. And while he’s learned a new role on the fly, it has been rarely
bumpy. The Celtics jumped out to a 21-5 start under the guidance of Mazzulla, who won the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in October/November. They’ve stayed atop the NBA standings entering the break with a 42-17 record while boasting a Top 5 offense and defense.
Even if the Celtics were title favorites because of their talent and depth, their performance this season wasn’t a given after the circumstances facing the franchise to start the season. Mazzulla has proven to be the right fit to bring the team together out of its own uncertainty.
“I think he’s done a great job, right from the get go of … galvanizing a locker room around a mission,” Stevens said. “I give him a lot of credit, I give our players a lot of credit, and I give the staff a lot of credit. …
“Everybody is all in one direction. That’s really hard to do. And it’s a credit to our players because they’re the ones who accept it. And it’s a credit to our coaches because they’re the ones that foster that environment.”
It has been a rapid climb up the coaching ranks for Mazzulla. The Johnston, R.I., native and former Bishop Hendricken High School standout played collegiately at West Virginia — captaining the Mountaineers to the Final Four in 2010 — before embarking on a coaching career. He first joined the Celtics organization as an assistant with the Maine Red Claws in 2016 before leaving for the Fairmont State job and then returning to Boston.
Last summer, Mazzulla was interviewed for the Utah Jazz head coach opening that was ultimately filled by Celtics assistant Will Hardy. But it started to seem clear then that Mazzulla was destined for an NBA head coaching job at some point. It came sooner than expected, but he hasn’t disappointed.
And now, he has the full backing and belief that he’s the right man for the job this season and beyond.
“I know Joe will work his tail off, I know Joe will give everything he has to lead, and I know he gives a damn about everybody in that locker room,” Stevens said. “Like he really cares. It eats him up when something doesn’t go well individually for a guy. It eats him up when he feels like he’s let the team down. He’s not going to ever come in and say, I wish this person or this person or this person would’ve done their jobs better. He’ll always say the opposite. …
“I just think that accountability is so important for a team, and I think that our players know that. They know that he’s gonna give it everything he’s got, and they know that he’s going to be accountable, and he’s not going to look for excuses. We can’t be a team that has any excuses.”