Joe Mazzulla

Joseph Mazzulla (born June 30, 1988) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Psycho", he played college basketball for West Virginia University as a point guard.

Following his collegiate career as a point guard, Mazzulla went undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft, instead choosing to pursue a career in coaching at the college level, coaching at Glenville State and Fairmont State's basketball programs as an assistant coach for 3 seasons each, before being hired to be an assistant coach for the Maine Red Claws in 2016. He was rehired at Fairmont State, this time as their basketball program's head coach, from 2017 to 2019. After these stints in coaching at the collegiate level and in the NBA G League, Mazzulla joined the Celtics as an assistant coach in 2019.

After the discovery of a contract breaking affair that then head coach Ime Udoka was having with staff members, Mazzulla was promoted to be the interim head coach of the Celtics prior to the 2022–23 season, and was named head coach full time in February 2023. In his second season, Mazzulla led the Celtics to a league-best 64 wins and an NBA championship. He currently holds the highest winning percentage of any coach in NBA history with over 200 games coached. Mazzulla is also the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since Bill Russell did so in 1969 as a player-coach and is the ninth youngest head coach to win the Finals in NBA history.

Early life

Joseph Mazzulla was born to a biracial family in Johnston, Rhode Island on June 30, 1988 to Dan Mazzulla, an Italian American, and Latersa Mazzulla, an African American. He attended Bishop Hendricken High School in Rhode Island, making the all-state first team. Mazzulla won three state titles as a point guard at Bishop Hendricken, with his third as a senior on a last-second shot. During his senior year, Mazzulla was injured in a car accident, sustaining no major injuries.

College career

As a freshman at West Virginia, Mazzulla helped the team win the 2007 National Invitation Tournament under coach John Beilein.

In the 2008 NCAA tournament, Mazzulla posted 13 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in a second-round upset of Duke. He was forced to redshirt the 2008–09 season due to a shoulder injury against Ole Miss, as his growth plate never fused with his shoulder. Mazzulla was unsure if he would ever play again, but practiced for two hours a day and underwent surgery to make a comeback.

In April 2009, Mazzulla was arrested for domestic battery at a bar in Morgantown, West Virginia, and was suspended by coach Bob Huggins. Around this time, Mazzulla received a phone call from Mountaineer legend Jerry West. West criticized Mazzulla for failing to live up to expectations and pleaded with him not to waste his talents any longer. Mazzulla credits this call for helping to set him on the right path.

As a redshirt junior, Mazzulla was named a captain and helped West Virginia reach the 2010 Final Four, where the Mountaineers lost to eventual champion Duke. In the game prior, he scored a then-career-high 17 points in the Elite Eight upset of Kentucky.

As a senior, Mazzulla averaged 7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

In his collegiate career, Mazzulla recorded 700 points and 340 assists.

Coaching career

College coaching career

Shortly after graduating from college, Mazzulla was offered a coaching job at Nova Southeastern but turned it down to pursue professional playing opportunities. Mazzulla joined Glenville State as an assistant in September 2011 after he was unable to find any professional playing opportunities.

In 2013, Mazzulla was hired as an assistant at Fairmont State under Jerrod Calhoun. During the 2016–17 season, Mazzulla served as an assistant for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League.

Mazzulla was named head coach of Fairmont State in March 2017. During his second season, Mazzulla led the team to a 22–9 record and an appearance in the 2019 NCAA Division II tournament, where they lost in the first round to Mercyhurst, 63–60, in overtime.

Boston Celtics

Assistant coach

On June 24, 2019, Mazzulla was hired as an assistant coach of the Boston Celtics. In 2022, he interviewed with the Utah Jazz for their head coaching vacancy, but the position ultimately went to fellow Celtics assistant coach Will Hardy.

Head coach

= 2022–23 season: First season

=

On September 22, 2022, just days before the beginning of training camp, Mazzulla was named interim head coach for the Celtics after Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022–23 season due to violating team policies. On December 1, Mazzulla was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October and November after the Celtics began the season with a league-best 18–4 record. On January 30, 2023, he was named the head coach for Team Giannis for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

On February 16, 2023, the Celtics officially named Mazzulla the 19th head coach in franchise history and signed him to a contract extension after Mazzulla led the team to a league-best 42–17 record at the NBA All-Star break. In April, he was named one of three finalists for NBA Coach of the Year. The Celtics entered the playoffs as the #2-seed in the Eastern Conference with a 57–25 record. They went on to beat the Atlanta Hawks in six games during the first round and the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games during the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, the Celtics lost to the #8-seed Miami Heat during the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games, despite the Celtics losing the first three games of the series. Despite the ultimate defeat, Boston became just the fourth team in league history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3–0 in a playoff series, and the first since the 2002–03 Portland Trail Blazers. In Game 7, star Jayson Tatum rolled his ankle on the very first play of the night and played through the injury, but was noticeably hindered for the rest of the game.

= 2023–24 season: First NBA Championship

=

Mazzulla was retained as head coach for the 2023–24 season and received the endorsement of President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, who called him "a terrific leader" and "accountable."

During the season, Mazzulla earned two Eastern Conference Coach of the Month awards, one in December and another in March. With a league-best 64–18 record, the Celtics had their first 60+ win season since 2009 and took the top overall seed in the NBA along with home-court advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time since their last championship season. The Celtics went on to beat the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers in five games during the first round and Eastern Conference Semifinals, respectively. After completing a 4–0 sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, Mazzulla, at age 35, became the youngest head coach to make the NBA Finals since Bill Russell in 1969. The Celtics went on to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in five games during the 2024 NBA Finals, giving Mazzulla his first NBA championship. Mazzulla also became the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals in over 50 years.

= 2024–25 season

=
Mazzulla was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in March after the Celtics finished the month with a 14–1 record, including a perfect 8–0 record on the road. They ultimately finished with a 61–21 record to clinch their 26th Atlantic Division and finished as the No. 2 seed in the East for the playoffs, behind the No. 1 ranked Cleveland Cavaliers.

Personal life

Mazzulla's father, Dan, was of Sicilian descent and was a basketball player and coach who died in 2020. Mazzulla's mother, Latresa, is of African descent. His younger brother, Justin, played basketball at George Washington University before transferring to the University of Vermont. Justin is currently an assistant video coordinator for the Utah Jazz. Mazzulla also has a sister, Gianna, who played under her father Dan at Johnston High School.

Mazzulla has been married to Camai Roberson since 2014, whom he met while coaching at Glenville State University in 2011. They have a son named Emmanuel. Mazzulla also has a stepson named Michael.

Mazzulla is a devout Catholic, saying that his identity comes from his "faith" and "purpose".

Mazzulla is a fan of Premier League club Manchester City, and has developed a friendship with Manchester City's manager, Pep Guardiola.

Head coaching record

College

NBA

, -
, style="text-align:left;", Boston
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 57, , 25, , , , style="text-align:left;", 1st in Atlantic, , 20, , 11, , 9, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference Finals
, - style="background:#fde910;"
, style="text-align:left;", Boston
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 64, , 18, , , , style="text-align:left;", 1st in Atlantic, , 19, , 16, , 3, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Won NBA Finals
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Boston
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 61, , 21, , , , style="text-align:left;", 1st in Atlantic, , 11, , 6, , 5, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference Semifinals
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 246, , 182, , 64, , style="background:#e0cef2;, , ,  , , 50, , 33, , 17, , , ,  

References

External links

Joe Mazzulla
– college basketball player statistics at Sports Reference

Joe Mazzulla
– NBA basketball coach statistics at Sports Reference

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazzulla, Joe
1988 births
Living people
African-American Catholics
American people of Italian descent
Basketball coaches from Rhode Island
Basketball players from Rhode Island
Bishop Hendricken High School alumni
Boston Celtics assistant coaches
Boston Celtics head coaches
Fairmont State Fighting Falcons men's basketball coaches
Glenville State Pioneers basketball coaches
Maine Red Claws coaches
NBA championship–winning head coaches
People from Johnston, Rhode Island
Sportspeople from Providence County, Rhode Island
West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball players