Celtics Announce Contract Extension for Coach Joe Mazzulla

The eccentric boss has gained a reputation as one of the NBA's best.
Joe Mazzulla led the Celtics to the 2024 NBA title.
Joe Mazzulla led the Celtics to the 2024 NBA title. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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The Celtics are aiming to keep coach Joe Mazzulla around for the long haul.

Boston is signing Mazzulla to a multiyear contract extension, the club announced Friday morning. The extension, of which the length was not specified, follows another strong season for the Celtics and their coaching wunderkind.

In three years with Boston, Mazzulla is 182-64—good for a winning percentage of .740, the highest in NBA among coaches with a minimum of 100 games.

Taking over for Ime Udoka after his abrupt Sept. 2022 suspension and eventual firing, Mazzulla led the Celtics to a 57-25 record in 2023, a 64-18 record in 2024, and a 61-21 record in 2025. In '24, Boston won the NBA title, making Mazzulla the youngest NBA champion coach since Bill Russell in 1969.

A Rhode Island native with a quirky public persona who helped West Virginia make the 2010 men's Final Four as a player, Mazzulla has become beloved in New England and beyond. Friday's extension would seem to acknowledge that as the Celtics prepare for a difficult season without forward Jayson Tatum.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .