Joe Mazzulla continues to rag on the NBA Coach of the Year Award any chance he gets.
The Celtics head coach was named one of three finalists for the 2025-26 Coach of the Year award over the weekend. It’s an honor that virtually all of his peers would embrace and celebrate, but one that Mazzulla himself does not care for.
The three finalists for the 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year Award:
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 19, 2026
▪️J.B. Bickerstaff, @DetroitPistons
▪️Mitch Johnson, @spurs
▪️Joe Mazzulla, @celtics pic.twitter.com/Yb2VJYqIy3
Mazzulla spoke to reporters about his nomination on Monday ahead of Boston’s Game 2 matchup against its first-round opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers. The 37-year-old coach shared reasons why he doesn’t believe he — or any other coach, for that matter — deserves any hardware.
“If it were Staff of the Year, it’s different, if it were Organization of the Year – but at the end of the day, I haven’t made one basket all year,” Mazzulla said.
“Our staff hasn’t made a basket. We haven’t gotten a block. We haven’t ran back on defense. We didn’t play in a back-to-back. We didn’t have to play hurt. We haven’t really done shit. So, if you don’t have the guys to be able to put you in position, it doesn’t really matter. I’m just grateful – the greatest gift I have is I get to coach a bunch of guys that care about winning and being a part of the culture that we have.”
It’s not the first time Mazzulla has ragged on the NBA’s most “stupid” award. His prickly approach may push some voters toward other finalists — Detroit Pistons’ JB Bickerstaff and San Antonio Spurs’ Mitch Johnson — instead. But it’s possible Mazzulla’s words work as reverse psychology, with some perceiving him to be even more worthy for how little credit he wants to give himself.
Mazzulla is every bit deserving of the coaching plum, having led a depleted Celtics squad to a 56-26 record. The team shipped out several veteran members of its championship core and didn’t have Jayson Tatum until March, but still finished as a top-2 seed in the East.
Giving him the award may be worth it just to see how he’d react.
