The Boston Celtics announced they had promoted interim head coach Joe Mazzulla to serve as the team’s permanent head coach. Mazzulla, 34, has led the Celtics to a 42-17 record heading into the All-Star break, the best mark in the NBA.
Mazzulla was tapped to serve as the club’s interim coach in September after the Celtics announced the suspension of then-head coach Ime Udoka. Mazzulla had served as an assistant with the team since 2019, and prior to that worked as an assistant with the team’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics.
“Joe is a very talented coach and leader,” President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens said in a press release. “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.”
As part of the decision to remove the interim tag, the team announced the two sides had agreed to terms on a new contract but did not disclose terms of the deal.
A Rhode Island native, Mazzulla played college basketball at West Virginia. He’s the lone coaching holdover from the Brad Stevens era and offers similar poise on the sidelines. Mazzulla will serve as a head coach at this year’s All-Star game. He’s headed to Salt Lake City alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
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