There’s no longer any doubt about whether or not the Boston Celtics view Joe Mazzulla as their head coach of the future.
News surfaced on Friday morning that Boston had signed Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension. “The Boston Celtics announced today that the team has signed Head Coach Joe Mazzulla to a multi-year contract extension,” an official release from NBA.com revealed. “Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.”
The release also featured quotes from Mazzulla and Boston’s President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, about the new deal.
“This is truly a blessing,” Mazzulla said, per the release. “I would not be here without my faith, my wife, and my children. We are thankful for the partnership with our ownership groups, Brad’s mentorship, and the support of our staff. Most importantly, I am grateful for the players I have been able to coach the past three seasons. I look forward to competing for the Celtics and the city of Boston.”
“We are very excited that Joe has agreed to extend with the Celtics,” Stevens said, per the release. “He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans. He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach – including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship. Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”
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Mazzulla has tallied an impressive .740 regular-season winning percentage over his first three seasons as head coach of the Celtics. He’s gone 33-17 in the postseason and already has an NBA championship on his resumé.
Mazzulla has been with the Celtics organization for six seasons. He was thrust into the spotlight days before the 2022-23 season, abruptly promoted to interim head coach following Ime Udoka’s suspension. By February of 2023, Boston named Mazzulla the permanent head coach of the team.
Mazzulla navigated the whirlwind of his first head-coaching season with grace, especially in the face of lofty expectations. Stevens has often praised Mazzulla in the media for how the then-34-year-old assistant coach handled the pressure of instantly becoming the head coach of the Celtics, far sooner than he or anyone on Earth expected. Just one season later, Mazzulla was riding a duck boat through the streets of Boston celebrating the franchise’s eighteenth championship.
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Entering his fourth season, Mazzulla faces a brand new challenge — coaching a team that doesn’t have championship expectations.