Mazzulla Named NBA Coach of the Year

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been named the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2025-26 season. The league announced the award on Tuesday.

Voting Results

Mazzulla received 62 of 100 first-place votes. The other finalists were J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons (29 first-place votes) and Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs (9 first-place votes).

This is Mazzulla's first Coach of the Year award. He previously finished third in voting in 2022-23 and fourth in 2023-24.

Season Performance

The Celtics finished the regular season with a 56-26 record, securing the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

This marks the fifth consecutive season Boston has won at least 50 games; Mazzulla has been head coach for four of those seasons.

During the offseason, the team traded Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday. Al Horford and Luke Kornet left the organization via free agency.

The Celtics played most of the season without Jayson Tatum, who was sidelined with a torn Achilles. Tatum returned in early March, and the team finished the regular season 13-3 with him in the lineup.

Jaylen Brown increased his scoring average to a career-high 28.7 points per game. The team lost its first three games of the season but recovered. They finished fourth in offensive efficiency, fourth in defensive efficiency, and fourth in net rating.

Mazzulla has a career regular-season winning percentage of .726 over four seasons as a head coach.

Playoff Result

The Celtics lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia 76ers, losing a 3-1 series lead. Tatum missed Game 7 due to left knee stiffness.

Coach's Statement

Upon receiving the award, Mazzulla said:

"Thank you to the Lord for the platform he has given me, and to my wife and family who support me on this journey. 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. "

Team and Player Reactions

Brad Stevens, Celtics President of Basketball Operations, stated:

"This is well-deserved recognition and a testament to both Joe and his staff... With all of our unknowns entering the season, Joe did a fantastic job building and growing a team."

Player Derrick White said on April 20:

"He doesn't like the attention on him... But obviously, he's done an amazing job this year, and when he wins, it would definitely be well deserved."