Joe Mazzulla Named NBA Coach of the Year, but He's Still Deflecting Credit

Joe Mazzulla has won the NBA Coach of the Year award, becoming the fourth Boston Celtics coach to ever win the award. He joins Red Auerbach, for whom the award is now named, Tommy Heinsohn, and Bill Fitch as winners.

“Thank you to the Lord for the platform he has given me, and to my wife and family who support me on this journey,” Mazzulla in a statement. “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 stayed true that in the announcement, making sure his entire staff was named. It includes Sam Cassell, Tony Dobbins, D.J. MacLeay, Da'Sean Butler, Nana Foulland, Amile Jefferson, Tyler Lashbrook, Craig Luschenat, Ross McMains, Alex Merg, Phil Pressey, Matt Reynolds, God Shammgod Jr., and Steve Tchiengang.

Joe Mazzulla believes his Coach of the Year award should go to the entire Celtics coaching staff. 👏 pic.twitter.com/TDAhGon2HT
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) May 27, 2026

“This is well deserved recognition and a testament to both Joe and his staff,” Brad Stevens, who won Executive of the Year said. “With all of our unknowns entering the season, Joe did a fantastic job building and growing a team. He pours everything he has into competing at a high level, while helping players find the best versions of themselves within the framework of a team. On top of all of that, Joe leads with an authentic care for the Celtics and everyone he works with - players, coaches, and staff.”

Mazzulla led the Celtics to 56 regular season wins in a year many people picked them to finish in the middle of the East or worse. Derrick White, who has often expressed how much he loves playing for Mazzulla relayed a story of Mazzulla calling him before the season started.

“It was my birthday and we’re golfing in July and he calls me and say ‘happy birthday man.’ I’m like, ‘appreciate it,’” White said on his podcast. “And he’s like ‘everybody thinks we’re going to suck. I love it’ and then he hangs up.”

Mazzulla and White have a pretty close bond, which is probably why Mazzulla felt he could play fight with him at a WWE event this season. Mazzulla’s magic touch with his players is that he finds ways to connect with them and never takes credit for anything that happened on the floor. It’s part of why he once called Coach of the Year a “stupid award.” But for Mazzulla, refusing to accept the credit is part of his own personal development.

“I think being a division one basketball player, you grow up with this sense of entitlement, as if the whole world revolves around you,” he said during the playoffs. “If I wanted to be a better husband, a better father, a better coach, I had to get rid of that type of entitlement. But I would say, going through life as a student athlete, you kind of think it's all about you. In reality, it's not. So I had to surrender to that. And it's something way bigger than me and sports, the world, and life…

“We all battle with pride in some capacity and we’re learning how to navigate that. I mean, it's not something that you just get better at. I think it's something that we all battle in our own way of pride in some capacity and we're always looking to just be better.”

Mazzulla currently has a .726 winning percentage as head coach, going 238-90 over his first four seasons. He’s 36-21 in the playoffs, winning a championship in 2024.

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