NBA: Boston Celtics Give Joe Mazzulla New Contract After Historic Championship Run
Celtics president Brad Stevens has made it official: Joe Mazzulla will stay on as head coach with a multi-year extension. Mazzulla, who led the team to a 2023-24 NBA title, expressed his thanks.
Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens had been saying all offseason that the franchise wanted to keep Joe Mazzulla as head coach for the long term. On Friday, that commitment was officially announced, with the Celtics confirming that Mazzulla had signed a multi-year contract extension, the details of which were not revealed.
In a statement, the 37-year-old coach shared his gratitude for the support he’s received throughout his career.
“I wouldn’t be here without my faith, my wife, and my kids,” Mazzulla said. “We’re thankful for the partnership with our ownership groups, Brad’s mentorship, and the support of our staff. Most importantly, I’m grateful for the players I’ve had the opportunity to coach these past three seasons. I am looking forward to competing for the Celtics and for the city of Boston.”
Mazzulla has had a fantastic start to his head coaching career, guiding the Celtics to the NBA Playoffs in each of his first three seasons and winning the franchise’s record 18th championship in 2023–24. That title win made him the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since 1969, when 35-year-old Bill Russell led Boston to victory as a player-coach.
Under Mazzulla’s leadership, the Celtics have won at least 57 games every year and crossed the 60-win mark in two seasons in a row—a level of consistency that’s rarely seen in the modern NBA.
From Assistant to Championship Coach
Mazzulla joined Boston’s coaching staff in 2019 as an assistant. His move to the top job happened under unusual circumstances—he was named interim head coach before the 2022–23 season after the suspension of the then-head coach, Ime Udoka. In February 2023, the ‘interim’ tag was removed, and Mazzulla signed his first extension.
Stevens later revealed that the coach had received at least one more extension before this latest deal.
