Mazzulla was named the head coach of the Celtics on Sept. 22, 2022.
Tuesday marked an important anniversary in Boston Celtics history.
On Sept. 22, 2022, Joe Mazzulla was named the interim head coach of the team after it suspended previous head coach Ime Udoka for the duration of the 2022-23 season.
Just months after taking the Celtics to the 2021-22 NBA Finals, Udoka was suspended for violating organizational rules regarding an inappropriate relationship. He never coached another game with the Celtics and is now the head coach of the Houston Rockets.
Mazzulla was officially named the head coach of the Celtics later in the 2022-23 season. It's hard to believe it's been four years since Mazzulla first took over the Celtics, but it's been a ride full of accomplishments for the Rhode Island native.
The Mazzulla file
A former college player at West Virginia, Mazzulla is still just 38 years old. He served as an assistant coach for the Celtics from 2019-22 before getting thrust into the spotlight.
Since then, he's gone 328-238 (72.6 winning percentage) in four seasons. He's been to the playoffs all four years, including winning the NBA title in 2023-24.
Last season, playing largely without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics went 56-26 and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Of course, they were upset in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers.
This season will represent a new on-court challenge for Mazzulla, as he'll have to coach for the first time without Jaylen Brown, who was traded to the 76ers this July. Navigating the fan and media reaction to the trade will be a new test as well. However, crisis management seems to be a specialty of his. He handled taking over for Udoka well, he handled the reaction to trades of Marcus Smart, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday well too.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla argues with referee Ed Malloy (7) over a call against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesOne of the other things that makes Mazzulla an excellent head coach is his ability to connect with his players and to inspire them. For instance, Mazzulla spent the offseason traveling the world and meeting his players where they are.
Up next for Boston
The team will hold Media Day on Monday afternoon, and we've already prepared a list of things we'd like to know at the podium.
After that, training camp officially starts on Tuesday and then the preseason opener is set for Oct. 8.
The Celtics will play four preseason games before opening up the regular season on Oct. 20 against Detroit.
