Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wins NBA Coach of the Year award he called ‘stupid’
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Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called the Coach of the Year award “silly.”
Now he’s won this.
“I don’t need it. I think it’s a stupid award,” Mazzulla said in March when asked about the possibility of winning the award for the Celtics’ regular-season success without some of their stars, including Jayson Tatum, for most of the year.
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Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla watches during the second quarter of Game Five in the first round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on April 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The winner of the award was announced on Tuesday night; Mazzulla led the Celtics into 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with a 56-26 record, finishing four games behind the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.
But Mazzulla wasn’t saying the award was stupid just for the sake of it; He believed this should have been a “coaching staff of the year” honor rather than a single person receiving hardware.
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Talking about the honor Tuesday night, Mazzulla told NBC as much.
“The long nights, the trips, the game plans, the video guys cutting and coding the film, the assistants coming up with the game plan, I think there’s a lot of sense in winning a game,” Mazzulla explained. “It starts with the players, but it goes to our roster. I feel bad they’re not here, but I’m forever grateful to our guys who take time with their families and give us a chance to win every day.”
Mazzulla becomes the fourth Celtics coach to win the award, named after the legendary Red Auerbach, who won it in 1965. Tom Heinsohn (1973) and Bill Fitch (1980) also received the Red Auerbach Award in their careers.
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla addresses players during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on June 6, 2024 in Boston. (Charles Krupa/AP)
During his Hall of Fame career, Auerbach helped the Celtics win nine NBA championships, eight consecutive from 1959-66.
Mazzulla was able to capture that victory in 2024 when the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 4-1, earning Boston a Larry O’Brien Award.
Unfortunately, the Celtics failed to advance in the playoffs despite their stars regaining health late in the season. They rebounded surprisingly in the first round after losing game seven to the Philadelphia 76ers.
But Mazzulla, 37, became the youngest head coach to receive the Coach of the Year award since the legendary Phil Jackson won it in 1975, according to the NBA.
While Mazzulla wanted to point the finger at his team, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens praised his fourth-year head coach.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla watches the game during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 12, 2026. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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“This is a well-deserved recognition and a testament to both Joe and his team,” Stevens said. “With all of our unknowns coming into the season, Joe has done a great job of building and growing a team. He puts everything he has into competing at a high level while helping players find the best versions of themselves within a team framework.”
Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff was in second place with his position after last season, while San Antonio Spurs leader Mitch Johnson was in third place.
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