Celtics' Joe Mazzulla wins NBA Coach of the Year after calling award 'stupid'

Zack Cox, Boston Herald on May 26, 2026

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BOSTON — Joe Mazzulla won the award he insisted he did not want.

The Celtics bench boss was announced Tuesday as the 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year, beating out fellow finalists J.B. Bickerstaff of Detroit and Mitch Johnson of San Antonio.

Mazzulla is the fourth Coach of the Year recipient in Celtics history, joining Red Auerbach (1964-65), Tom Heinsohn (1972-73) and Bill Fitch (1979-80). At 37, he’s also the youngest coach to win the award since Phil Johnson in 1974-75. Mazzulla received 62 of the 100 first-place votes, far outpacing runner-up Bickerstaff (29).

“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 said in a team-released 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.”

Under Mazzulla’s leadership, Boston far exceeded expectations this regular season. The Celtics won 56 games, earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and posted the NBA’s fourth-best net rating despite losing four rotation players last summer and playing most of the season without injured superstar Jayson Tatum.

To fill those gaps, the Celtics leaned on a large group of previously unproven players. Several of those delivered career seasons, including first-year starting center Neemias Queta and key reserves Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, Luka Garza, Hugo Gonzalez and Ron Harper Jr. Veterans Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard also posted career-best numbers.

Mazzulla, who coached the Celtics to the 2023-24 NBA championship in his second season on the job, repeatedly deflected credit for his team’s performance, saying plaudits should go to his players and assistants.

Before a March win over the Atlanta Hawks, he told reporters he never wanted to be asked about the Coach of the Year award again.

“I don’t need it,” Mazzulla, whose .726 winning percentage as head coach is the best in NBA history, said at the time. “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.”

Later, after being named as a finalist for the award, Mazzulla said he’d like to see the league introduce a way to recognize an entire coaching staff.

The Celtics’ press release announcing Mazzulla’s honor listed the names of 13 Celtics assistant coaches and player development staffers: Sam Cassell, Tony Dobbins, D.J. MacLeay, Da’Sean Butler, Nana Foulland, Amile Jefferson, Tyler Lashbrook, Craig Luschenat, Ross McMains, Alex Merg, Phil Pressey, God Shammgod Jr. and Steve Tchiengang.

“This is well-deserved recognition and a testament to both Joe and his staff,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “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.”

The Celtics’ regular-season success did not translate into a deep playoff run. After building a 3-1 lead in their first-round series against Philadelphia, they lost three straight, resulting in the franchise’s earliest postseason exit since 2021. It was the third time in Mazzulla’s four seasons that Boston lost a playoff series as the higher seed.

Stevens, who was honored as the NBA’s Executive of the Year, said after the season that the Celtics’ roster was not good enough to compete against the league’s true title contenders. He also said the team struggled to generate quality looks during the postseason, contradicting early public comments from Mazzulla.

“I think our coaching staff, like all of us, can continue to improve and get better,” Stevens said in his end-of-season news conference. “That said, I think they’re very good. And we need to continue to provide them the resources to grow and to get better and to continue to be the best that we can be. You can’t ignore anything, the good and the bad, but there was a lot of growth this year, and I thought that there was a lot of things that we can build off of, even though the ending was disappointing.”