BOSTON — 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.
“I just have a job to do,” Mazzulla said then. “Just focus on that. The guys are bought in. They trust me for the position that I’m in, and I just can’t take that trust for granted. I’ve just gotta do my job, whatever we’ve gotta do to win. And it will figure itself out.”
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 their 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 cut ties with their former coach.
“As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “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.”
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-five offense and defense.
“All things considered, everything that we went through this season as a team with coaching changes and guys getting injured and missing games, being in and out of the lineup … overall, it’s been a hell of a start,” Jayson Tatum said after Wednesday’s win over the Pistons.
It has been a rapid climb up the coaching ranks for Mazzulla, who’s the youngest coach in the NBA at 34 years old. 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.
Mazzulla will now head to Salt Lake City, alongside his coaching staff, to coach in Sunday’s All-Star Game, an honor he has downplayed individually. But after months of uncertainty, he’ll represent the Celtics in Utah and beyond now firmly cemented as their coach.
“It means a lot because the players have to win the games in order for me and our staff to get this opportunity,” Mazzulla said Wednesday of coaching in the All-Star Game. “So it means a lot. It says a lot about the type of players we have, it says a lot about the type of staff we have, especially with what we’ve been through at the beginning of the year and our ability to just kind of keep our eye on what’s most important, which is our team and getting them better. So it means a lot for them.
“So I’m excited to share that with them. And then my family. They’ve sacrificed a lot for me to be where I am and for us to be here. So I’m excited to see how they experience that as well. And I think it will be fun.”
