In the latest round of NBA award announcements, the iconic Joe Mazzulla has been named Coach of the Year for the 2025-26 season. The reveal, which came on Tuesday evening, was met with some surprise among the fans, who considered Mazzulla an underdog to win.
Now, the Boston Celtics coach joins Red Auerbach (1964-65), Tom Heinsohn (1972-73), and Bill Fitch (1979-80) as the only coaches in Celtics history to be named the Coach of the Year.
The 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year is… Joe Mazzulla! pic.twitter.com/Oesf3tNCfh
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2026
Mazzulla won the award with 62 first-place votes, edging out J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) and Mitch Johnson (Spurs), who also received first-place votes. With 392 points, he won with an 80-point gap, a clear sign that voters appreciate his work on the Celtics this season.
Somehow, without Jayson Tatum for most of the campaign, Joe led the Celtics to the second seed in the East, finishing at 56-26 overall. He helped his team adapt to a whole new rotation, coordinating with his staff and the players to build a system that brought out the best in his roster.
Ultimately, Mazzulla was clearly the most deserving this year, even though he expressed no satisfaction for even being considered. Famously, Mazzulla even called the award “stupid” in one comment, but it didn’t stop the voters from picking him anyway.
“I don’t need it,” Mazzulla said. “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. The players play. It’s about them…”
Mazzulla was hired as an assistant under Brad Stevens and also worked for Ime Udoka during his short tenure. He was eventually promoted to interim coach before being named the permanent head coach in February 2023. The following season (2023-2024), he coached the Celtics to a 64-18 record en route to their 18th NBA Championship, becoming the youngest head coach to win a title since Bill Russell.
Committed to a modern, perimeter-centric style of play, Mazzulla is renowned for his offensive schemes and has consistently made the Celtics one of the league’s best scoring teams. While some fans have expressed concerns with his over-reliance on the three-pointer, it’s not easy to replace someone who has achieved so much success in so little time.
This season, despite the Celtics giving up a 3-1 series lead for the first time in history, it was largely a success for the franchise, and Mazzulla was a big reason why. The award voters recognized that, and that’s why he’s now in the company of some of the league’s best coaching minds, including Mark Daigneault, Erik Spoelstra, and Steve Kerr.
Internally, the Celtics’ focus goes beyond coaching accolades. For Mazzulla and his team, a critical offseason awaits that could determine their trajectory for years to come. Following Tatum’s recovery from injury and Jaylen Brown’s social media antics, the situation is fragile right now, and any missteps could have drastic consequences.
