Joe Mazzulla

He played college basketball for West Virginia University.

Joe Mazzulla

Mazzulla with the Boston Celtics in 2022
Boston Celtics
Position	Head coach
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1988-06-30) June 30, 1988 (age 35) Johnston, Rhode Island, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school	Bishop Hendricken (Warwick, Rhode Island)
College	West Virginia (2006–2011)
NBA draft	2011: undrafted
Coaching career	2011–present
Career history
As coach:
2011–2013	Glenville State (assistant)
2013–2016	Fairmont State (assistant)
2016–2017	Maine Red Claws (assistant)
2017–2019	Fairmont State
2019–2022	Boston Celtics (assistant)
2022–2023	Boston Celtics (interim head coach)
2023–present	Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Star Game head coach (2023)

 

Mazzulla attended Bishop Hendricken High School in Rhode Island, where he made the all-state first team. Mazzulla won three state titles at Bishop Hendricken, with his third as a senior on a last-second shot.

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 risky surgery.

In April 2009, Mazzulla was arrested for domestic battery at a bar in Morgantown, West Virginia and was suspended by coach Bob Huggins.

As a redshirt junior, Mazzulla was named a captain and helped West Virginia reach the 2010 Final Four where the Mountaineers lost to Duke, the eventual champions. 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.

College coaching career

Shortly after graduating from college, Mazzulla was offered a coaching job at Nova Southeastern, but turned it down to pursue professional opportunities. He did not find any suitable opportunities overseas, and in September 2011, Mazzulla joined Glenville State as an assistant.

Mazzulla was hired as an assistant at Fairmont State under Jerrod Calhoun in 2013. During the 2016–17 season, Mazzulla served as an assistant for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League. He was named head coach of Fairmont State in March 2017. In his second season, Mazzulla led the team to a 22–9 record and 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

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

Head coach

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 whole 2022–23 NBA season. On December 1, 2022, Mazzulla was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October and November, following the Celtics beginning the season with a league-best 18–4 record. On January 30, 2023, Mazzulla was named the head coach for Team Giannis for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

On February 16, 2023, the Celtics officially named Mazzulla head coach and signed him to a contract extension. In April, Mazzulla was named one of three finalists for NBA Head Coach of the Year. The Celtics entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 57–25 record, but lost in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games to the eighth-seed Miami Heat.

Mazzulla was retained as head coach for the 2023–24 season and received the endorsement of team president Brad Stevens, who called him "a terrific leader" and "accountable.". With a league-best 64–18 record, the Celtics not only had their first 60+ win season since 2009, but they also took the No. 1 overall seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time since their 2008 season and their last championship.

Mazzulla was born in Johnston, Rhode Island. He is the son of basketball coach Dan Mazzulla, who played college basketball at Bryant and professionally for five years in Chile. In 2007, Dan was inducted into the Bryant Hall of Fame. He died of cancer in April 2020.

Mazzulla's younger brother, Justin, played basketball at George Washington University before transferring to the University of Vermont.

Mazzulla is a devout Catholic. He and his wife, Camai, have a son named Emmanuel. Mazzulla also has a stepson named Michael.

College

NBA