National Basketball Association

Boston Celtics' Joe Mazzulla named head coach, receives extension

Updated Feb. 16, 2023 4:22 p.m. ET

The Boston Celtics announced on Thursday that Joe Mazzulla has officially been named the team's full-time head coach.

Furthermore, the two sides have agreed to a contract extension.

"As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader," Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. "We are thankful for the work he has done to help get us to this point, and excited that he has agreed to lead us into the future."

Under Mazzulla's guidance, Boston owns the best record in the NBA this season (42-17). The 34-year-old Mazzulla was named interim head coach in September when Ime Udoka was suspended by the Celtics for the entirety of the 2022-23 season after it was reported that he had a consensual intimate relationship with a member of the team staff that violated organizational policy. Boston reached the NBA Finals last season under Udoka before losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

Mazzulla was an assistant with the Celtics since 2019. Prior to joining Boston, he was the head coach at Fairmont State from 2017-19.

Mazzulla is the 19th head coach in Celtics' history.

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