Joe Mazzulla wins Coach of the Year after guiding Celtics to No. 2 seed

Joe Mazzulla wins Coach of the Year after guiding Celtics to No. 2 seed originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joe Mazzulla has won the award he recently declared “stupid.”

The Boston Celtics head coach was named the 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year on Tuesday, beating out finalists J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons) and Mitch Johnson (San Antonio Spurs) for the honor.

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Mazzulla is just the fourth head coach in Celtics history to win Coach of the Year, joining franchise legends Bill Fitch (1980), Tommy Heinsohn (1973) and Red Auerbach (1965), for whom the trophy is now named.

That’s elite company, as those other three names are Hall of Famers. Don’t expect Mazzulla to take a victory lap, however.

“I don’t need it,” Mazzulla said in late March when asked about potentially winning Coach of the Year. “I think it’s a stupid award. They shouldn’t have it. And it’s more about the players. It’s more about the work that the staff puts in. It’s just that simple.

“I really don’t ever want to be asked or talk about it again. It’s just that dumb. So, the players play. It’s about them. Staff works their ass off. I’m grateful to have them.”

He credited the players and staff again in his statement after winning the award:

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“Thank you to the Lord for the platform he has given me, and to my wife and family who supported me on this journey,” Mazzulla said. “Thank you to our players who compete and give it everything they have each night. I am grateful for every member of the Celtics organization whose dedication impacts winning every day.

“This award belongs to our staff, who are there for the guys every day. Their relentless work ethic improves our team daily. This award should be named Staff of the Year.”

Mazzulla can downplay the award all he wants, but it’s still a well-deserved honor. The Celtics lost four key rotation players last offseason — Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet — and didn’t have Jayson Tatum until early March, yet still surged to a 56-26 record (well above their preseason projected win total of 41.5) and…

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Publish date : 2026-05-26 19:39:00

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