Joe Mazzulla has a tendency to garner attention for viral quotes he makes to media. The Boston Celtics head coach made headlines once again regarding the legacy he wants to leave behind when he retires in the distant future.
Mazzulla has been at the Celtics' helm since the start of the 2022-23 season, the first stint of his head coaching career. He led the franchise to the championship in 2024, shining as one of the best coaches in the league as well as one of the youngest.
Mazzulla recently appeared for an interview with Derin McMaim on the No Show Dogs podcast last week. It was there where he was honest about how he wants to be remembered in his career or, in his case, forgotten.
"If the people around you didn't do what they do… I wouldn't do anything. The thing I reflect on the most is… I think you have to be willing to be forgotten. I think that's kind of my main goal. I want to be forgotten about. Because that means after you… It was better. I think that's what it means to be a Celtic. However long you play, coach, work for the Celtics…"
"Your job is to keep it exactly where it's at or bring it better. You cannot bring it down. If you leave and it gets worse, that's your fault. If you leave and they win, and they forgot about you, you did your job. I talk about that every day with the staff. Our job is to one day be forgotten about because you did your job. It became about something bigger than you. It's a burden and a love for being with the Celtics… But it's a responsibility. I think we could take that into our daily life. Can I leave it so much better that they don't remember me because the next person came and was better?"

#mazzulla

Josh Chambers: Joe Mazzulla says his goal as Celtics coach is to be forgotten "If the people around you didn't do what they do… I wouldn't do anything. The thing I reflect on the most is… I think you have to be willing to be forgotten. I think that's kind of my main goal." "I want to be forgotten about. Because that means after you… It was better. I think that's what it means to be a Celtic. However long you play, coach, work for the Celtics…" "Your job is to keep it exactly where it's at or bring it better. You cannot bring it down. If you leave and it gets worse, that's your fault. If you leave and they win, and they forgot about you, you did your job." "I talk about that every day with the staff. Our job is to one day be forgotten about because you did your job. It became about something bigger than you." "It's a burden and a love for being with the Celtics… But it's a responsibility. I think we could take that into our daily life. Can I leave it so much better that they don't remember me because the next person came and was better?"
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On draft night, when teams Cenac had worked out for such as the 76ers, Raptors, and Knicks passed on him, Cenac seemed discouraged to Sampson. But the coach told him the night had a favorable result. "I said, 'Chris, I'm glad those teams didn't take you,' " he said. "Then when Boston took him, I said, 'They believe in you, Chris. You went to the right team.' Brad Stevens is one of the best basketball people in the world, and I've been so impressed with [coach] Joe Mazzulla." — 8/22/2026 Boston Globe
In June, while the NBA Finals and the Liga Betclic Finals were taking place, Neemias Queta had the opportunity to show Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla around Lisbon, Benfica and Barreiro, where Queta grew up and played. What did Mazzulla tell him about what he saw in Portugal and Portuguese basketball? "I think he liked what he saw. He said there are people who can make it there if they really want to work hard. And I think he really loved Portugal. I think the thing he liked the most was the food. It was a good time. He came alone, but he said next year he's coming with his wife and kids. We'll welcome them with open arms," Queta revealed. As for his expectations for the Celtics next season, Queta expects them to "be competitive again." "People have already started saying again that the other teams are the good ones and that we don't have enough quality. But I think, with the group we have, the people we have in the locker room? And our coach?" — 8/19/2026 A Bola
A February 4th game between the Celtics and the Houston Rockets served as an inflection point in Harper's season; he started for the first time in his career, guarded Rockets star Kevin Durant, and showed himself — and the world — he belonged. It's a game that Joe Mazzulla has pointed to as well in that it showcased Harper's readiness and preparation. "The first time I really played meaningful minutes was when I started in Houston, and that kind of came

Celtics & Jayson Tatum Get Rough 2026-27 NBA Projections, But They've Dispelled These Before originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Certain franchises and fan bases grow immune to wonky preseason predictions because of how long their teams have been perennial **** le contenders. The Boston Celtics know this exact feeling too well. A lot was said when Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis left. This pattern now repeats itself after they dealt Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and some picks. It's evidenced by the fact that ESPN's Summer Forecast has the organization with the most **** les of all-time in the category of squads that are 'disappointing' and 'will take a tumble' this season.
Why should this not be a worry for the team led by Coach Joe Mazzulla and Jayson Tatum? Let's dissect it!
ESPN just released its annual Summer Forecast. Typically, the Celtics end up with projections that say they are frontrunners for the Larry O'Brien trophy, or at least the Eastern Conference **** le. The projections for the 2026-27 NBA season are not similar to those of previous years.
Because of Jaylen Brown's departure, ESPN says the Celtics are one of the teams likely to take a tumble and disappoint. The pundits' list goes as follows:

#sporting #larry #paul #summer

Boston Celtics reserve big man Luka Garza held a youth basketball camp in the state he played his NCAA basketball, the Celtics center putting together his second Luka Garza Academy skills camp of the summer in Indianola, Iowa. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla paid a visit to the camp as well in one of his many stops to spend time with his players this offseason.
Garza shared some thoughts on why he continues to make time for the camps with local ABC station KCAU-TV Sioux City, saying that "Iowa just means an incredible amount to me and my family."
"I feel like my life changed when I came here and I was able to get to my dreams and goals because of the University of Iowa," he added.
"Because of what I was able to learn here, because of the way I was able to develop here and I think within that time, the people here that supported me, that put their arms around me and pushed me every single day," said the Celtics center.
"I always feel like I owe something to them. And so for me every summer is trying to come and give back a little bit because I know how much was given to me in my time here."

#here #garza #luka #Basketball

New Boston Celtics forward Paul George has finally addressed his summer trade to the Philadelphia 76ers.
George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 **** ists last season for the 76ers and had a strong Playoff run, helping the 76ers upset the Celtics from 3-1 down.
The Celtics have since acquired the 36-year-old and are hoping he plays a complementary role to Jayson Tatum in Joe Mazzulla's system next season. It seems like George is excited as well.
The Celtics shared a video of George's first visit to the Celtics facility, where the nine-time All-Star shared his feelings on his new team for the first time since being traded seven weeks ago.
"It's surreal. I'm ecstatic… I'm looking forward to wearing that green and representing for Boston… I'm gonna give y'all everything."

#shared #first #time

The NBA and NBC are bringing the drama this season right from the opening tip.
The NBA season tips-off on NBC on Oct. 20 with a triple-header that includes LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers looking to spoil ring night in Madison Square Garden as they face Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the defending champion New York Knicks. Plus, we get a showdown of Western Conference powerhouses San Antonio and Oklahoma City, and it all starts with a showdown of two of the game's brightest stars, Cade Cunningham and Jayson Tatum.
This will be the first time that a network has ever broadcast three NBA Tip-Off games, and all of them can be seen on NBC and streamed on Peacock. The news was announced live on TODAY this morning.
It's a star-studded opening day lineup that includes 10 All-Stars and eight All-NBA players from a season ago. Among the players opening the season are the reigning MVP (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), Finals MVP (Jalen Brunson), Defensive Player of the Year (Victor Wembanyama) and the Coach of the Year (Joe Mazzulla). The official lineup for the opening night triple-header is:
The NBA season on NBC begins with a matinee, a showdown between stars Jayson Tatum and Cade Cunningham, but also a meeting of the East's top two seeds from a season ago — and two teams expected to be near the top of those standings this year. It's a contrast of styles as Boston under Mazzulla will launch as many 3-pointers as any team in the league, while Detroit, with All-Star center Jalen Duren and the slashing-into-the-paint style of Cunningham, tries to dominate inside and work out from there.

#jalen #year #brunson #jayson

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla never played in the NBA, so he hasn't experienced the physical toll of an 82-game regular season. However, in order to better understand his players, the reigning Coach of the Year tries to simulate the daily grind of the NBA within the Octagon.
Mazzulla is a huge martial arts fan and has attended multiple UFC fights while coaching the C's. His passion goes beyond fandom, though. The New England native told Ariel Helwani — one of the leading journalists covering professional fighting — in an exclusive interview that he's practiced mixed martial arts for the last 4 to 5 years. That training doesn't stop during the middle of the busy NBA regular season either, as Mazzulla believes it's a way for him to connect to the fatigue his players might be feeling.
"I have a lot of respect for our team and the guys in the NBA," he began. "And they push themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally all year long...I can go through the whole season and not have any physical, taxing moments...So, the more I can kind of meet them where they're at and put yourself in that position, I think it helps have empathy for them and understand what they go through."
Mazzulla hasn't just been figuratively meeting players where they're at. He's literally done it over the course of his four seasons as head coach, especially this summer. He traveled to Portugal to visit Celtics center Neemias Queta, he went to Spain to watch Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez play, and he made trips within the United States to see Celtics wings Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh in their home states of Nebraska and Texas, respectively.
The former West Virginia basketball captain has a unique ability to level the playing field with others that even goes beyond his players. During the 2025-26 campaign, Mazzulla lowered his press conference podium so that he could be closer to where members of the media sit rather than tower over them. And prior to the season, he helped organize a basketball scrimmage between Celtics coaches and reporters that made national headlines.

Viral Video of Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla Doing MMA Shows Insane Muscles originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Joe Mazzulla puts in the work to make the Boston Celtics the best basketball team they possibly can be.
The Celtics head coach also puts in the work away from the court, too.
Specifically, Mazzulla is a committed MMA fighter in his spare time, using his time in the gym to hone an impressive physique.
On Tuesday, this video went viral on X. Mazzulla both explains why he gets after it like this, and he provides a look at the fact that he's in as good of shape as his own players:

It might seem like the NBA is a cold place where decade-long relationships can be cast aside at the first moment it becomes advantageous to do so. But in the case of the Boston Celtics trading star forward Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla made it clear that he will not only miss Brown's tenure with the team, he credited it with making him a better version of himself in a recent interview with New York Times senior reporter Jay King.
"There needs to be a grieving process for losing not just a player in Jaylen, but a person in Jaylen," said the Celtics coach. "There needs to be a grieving process that this guy, what he has done on the court and what he's done in the community and what he's done for the city of Boston, there should be a grieving process"
"But the … gray area is throughout that loss, you're also gaining," suggested Mazzulla, presumably referencing the trade's return and the optionality it was made to create. "We're getting three guys back. One guy was a champion. So, we can leverage the experience that he had in the current moment of like, 'Hey, what worked for you guys? How can we learn from little stuff that you did?'"
Even with the returning elements of the Brown trade, Mazzulla insisted his time with Brown has made him a better coach. "I know that for a fact," he said. "Something like that is going to be difficult. But I think if you could just get through it and act as if nothing happened, then that's when I think that you're not in it for the right reasons."
"The biggest thing was just his competitiveness," Mazzulla shared later. "He wasn't afraid to push you. That was for teammates. That was for me. That was for people. He wasn't afraid to hold you accountable to a higher standard. And when you have the opportunity to coach guys like that, it just makes you better."

Joe Mazzulla addresses the Jaylen Brown trade to Philadelphia for the first time originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is known for being candid when it comes to answering questions. That did not change in his first public appearance since the trade went down.
Of course, team president Brad Stevens already gave the reasoning behind the trade, which was perfectly understandable based on the team's payroll. However, many people were interested in hearing from the person who actually had to coach him on the court.
Being the Celtics' head coach is not an easy job because they have to meet expectations. Mazzulla has done a great job in the past few years, but the 2025-26 regular season was one of the most impressive campaigns they have had.
With Jayson Tatum missing most of the season due to his ruptured Achilles tendon, Mazzulla had to rely on Brown to be his star player. They worked well together, as they finished the regular season as the second seed despite the low expectations.

Taylor Snow: Fun fact: Mike Conley and Joe Mazzulla made their college debuts on the same day – Nov. 10, 2006 Mike and OSU beat VMI, 107-69 Joe and WVU beat Mount St. Mary’s 50-42
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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Fun fact: Mike Conley and Joe Mazzulla made their …

Latest Trey Murphy III trade update gives Celtics a chance to add Jayson Tatum's ideal co-star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
In the aftermath of the Jaylen Brown trade, the Boston Celtics need to start building around their sole franchise superstar, Jayson Tatum. And, with two of his three supporting superstars, Paul George and Derrick White, being in their mid-to-early 30’s, Boston needs to get younger.
The leading target that most want Boston to get is Trey Murphy III, as his playstyle matches up with Mazzulla Ball pretty well. His price point made people balk though, as the New Orleans Pelicans wanted four first-round picks for him. However, there’s been an update to that, and Boston may now be more inclined to make a deal.
Apr 3, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Pelicans have lowered their demands from four first-rounders to three. This is a little better, and it allows Boston to get more creative with its offer.

On Wednesday morning, the Boston Celtics signed New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson to a three-year, $47.4 million contract seemingly out of the blue. There were no major reports linking Boston to the 2026 NBA champion, yet the Celtics still managed to swipe the 7-footer away from their hated rivals in free agency. The connection between Robinson and the C's isn't as expected as one might think though, especially given recent comments from Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
In May of 2025, the Celtics and Knicks squared off in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. After the Knicks took a surprising 2-0 lead, Mazzulla didn't emphasize the importance of Knicks star Jalen Brunson or the timely shooting of forward Josh Hart. Instead, he fielded a question about Robinson — New York's backup center — and explained his impact on the series.
"He's good on both ends of the floor," Mazzulla praised following Game 2. "He's able to play by himself. He's able to play double-big with (Karl-Anthony) Towns. Then on the defensive end, his ability to protect the rim, his ability to get extra possessions...He's a huge factor to what they do and we've got to find ways to negate that."
Mazzulla and the Celtics feared Robinson's influence so much that they intentionally fouled him throughout the series to put a bad free-throw shooter on the line and, more importantly, force the Knicks to take him out of the game.
The results of that strategy varied, but the Knicks beat the Celtics in six games and won it all the following season by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

A new report suggests the willingness to trade Jaylen Brown may not be the biggest internal hurdle for the Boston Celtics in making a blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
We might be just days away from a trade that sees the Milwaukee Bucks legend wearing a different uniform to start the 2026-27 NBA season. After listening to trade offers in February, all signs point to the team trading the 10-time All-Star so they can have multiple first-round picks in next week’s NBA Draft. An event that basketball pundits suggest has one of the most talent-rich classes in years.
As we get closer to a potential deal, it seems like the Celtics and the Miami Heat are the likely landing spots. Yet, when it comes to Boston, some believe a hesitancy to trade Brown may be the biggest holdup in the front office actually pulling the trigger on a deal. However, that may not be the most notable problem within the organization when it comes to finalizing a trade.
In a new edition of the Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed out that Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla may not prefer to make a trade for Antetokounmpo because, as he puts it, “Mazzulla is dogmatic about the way he wants to play basketball. Arguably, dogmatic to a fault.”
It was a comment where fellow NBA insider Tim Bontemps responded by saying it isn’t arguable that Mazzulla is a stickler for his style of play.

Brian Windhorst: "But when you get to Boston, you have to understand there is two enormously important things. Number one, what it would take to get Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade. I think the Celtics are going to be very, very cautious with making any firm offer. Second thing is, if you are going to entertain trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, you are talking about changing your entire style of play in Boston, and Joe Mazzulla has pretty much been dogmatic in how he wants to play."
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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Number one, what it would take to get Giannis …

After emerging as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference last season, the Boston Celtics' playoff run came to an abrupt end. Joe Mazzulla's team dropped three straight games, two of which occurred at TD Garden, as they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round. Of course, the nature of that loss has led to fans wondering what went wrong.
During a recent episode of WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show," Meghan Ottolini shared her thoughts on the situation. Ottolini noted that Mazzulla moved away from a lot of what was working in the regular season, including his 10-man rotation, among other things.
"I think they went away from a lot of the stuff they did in the regular season, and that was the mistake," Ottolini said. "Like the regular season, they had like a 10-man rotation, and then it took until game seven to see somebody like Hugo (Gonzalez), who I thought provided a big spark in the first half when he was in there. Even some of these other guys, like Jordan Walsh. (He was) one of the few guys on the team who could at least slow down Tyrese Maxey. I don't think you have a Maxey stopper on that team, but (Walsh could) at least slow him down."
Falling short in the opening round of the playoffs certainly came as a shock to the Celtics' fanbase, especially as it was against a Sixers team that had struggled for stretches of the season.
Nevertheless, Boston will now head into the summer looking to regroup and find some new additions to improve the rotation.

When Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla deflects praise from his work at the helm of the team as he did when he won the league's Coach of the Year award for the 2025-26 NBA regular season, it is truly not a made-up excuse to look humble for him to say his staff behind the scenes lay a lot of the groundwork for that success.
And one member of that staff who has been with the franchise for many years now just got some recognition for his work as the team's equipment manager, per recent reporting from the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach.
Per the Globe, Andy Mannix was named as the NBA Equipment Managers ******* ociation’s co-equipment manager of the year for this season. Mannix will share the honor with Toronto Raptors equipment manager Curtis Andrade.
"Mannix has been with the franchise for 28 years, serving as a ball boy, facilities manager, and ******* istant equipment manager, before taking on his current role. This is his first time winning this honor," writes Himmelsbach.
"Guess I was due," joked Mannix of the honor.