Joe Mazzulla could formally be the NBA’s Coach of the Yr, however the Boston Celtics head coach nonetheless doesn’t consider the award ought to belong to only one particular person.
After guiding Boston to the No. 2 seed within the Jap Convention throughout a season full of uncertainty, Mazzulla was introduced Tuesday night time because the winner of the NBA’s 2025-26 Coach of the Yr award.
The Celtics exceeded expectations regardless of spending many of the season with out Jayson Tatum as he recovered from Achilles surgical procedure, whereas additionally adjusting to the departures of key veterans together with Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Vacation.
Paradoxically, Mazzulla had already made headlines earlier this yr when he dismissed the award altogether.
“I don’t want it,” Mazzulla mentioned again in March. “I feel it’s a silly award.”
However Mazzulla later clarified that his difficulty was by no means with recognition itself. As a substitute, he believes teaching success is constructed collectively behind the scenes and may mirror the whole group reasonably than one particular person.
“The lengthy nights, the journeys, sport plans, the video guys which can be clipping up the movie and coding it, the assistants who’re placing within the sport plan, I feel there’s a lot that goes into successful one sport,” Mazzulla mentioned throughout Tuesday night time’s announcement on NBC. “It begins with the gamers, nevertheless it goes to our workers. I really feel dangerous that they’re not right here — however ceaselessly indebted to the fellows that we’ve that quit time with their households and their time to offer us an opportunity to win each day.”
At 37 years previous, Mazzulla additionally grew to become the youngest winner of the award since Phil Johnson in 1975, in response to the NBA.
The award carries additional which means in Boston, with Mazzulla receiving the Crimson Auerbach Trophy, named after the legendary Celtics coach who led the franchise to 9 championships. Mazzulla is now the fourth Celtics coach to win the honour, becoming a member of Auerbach, Tom Heinsohn and Invoice Fitch.
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