How Joe Mazzulla’s gratitude has fostered Celtics’ winning culture

“It’s an opportunity to appreciate what those guys do,” Mazzulla said of his sweatshirt. “I walk my pregame walk there, and being around people, there’s a lot of people that make sure by the time it gets to gametime…everything’s going smooth on and off the court. And we’ve had a few game this year that have had both [the Bruins and Celtics play], and watching that process is — [I’m] very appreciative of that. So, just thankful for the gift and thankful for what they do.”

Joe Mazzulla’s gratitude extends to workers, fans, and his predecessors

This is far from the first time Mazzulla has shown gratitude towards the employees who make Celtics’ games and practices possible. In fact, the five-time Eastern Conference Coach of the Month even argued that the aforementioned personnel outweigh him in terms of influence.

“The people in the building are actually much more important than I am, because they see the players first,” he said during Celtics Media Day in September. “Whether it’s the kitchen, whether it’s security, whether it’s medical or strength and conditioning. Those interactions play a huge part in making sure that by the time we get to the court, we’re ready to go. So, that’s kind of how you build it. It’s the empowerment and the ownership to understand that everyone plays a part in winning. And you go about that every day.”

Although Mazzulla runs one of the NBA’s most prestigious franchises, he’s remained humble. Not even capturing banner no. 18 in 2024 and becoming the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since the legendary Bill Russell in 1969 inflated his ego.

The very first answer he gave to the media after securing a title was all about others, not himself.

“Something that’s really been going through my mind throughout this process, is you can’t lose sight of the people that came before us,” he stated after the Celtics’ championship-clinching victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the Finals. “I want to make sure every person that’s worked for the Celtics, that’s played for the Celtics that didn’t win, knows that their work and what they have done has not gone unnoticed.”

To understand Mazzulla’s appreciative perspective, it’s important to note his professional beginnings.

The Rhode Island native coached at Glenville State and Fairmont State — two Division II programs based in tiny towns in West Virginia — from 2011 to 2016 before joining the Celtics’ old G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, as an assistant for the 2016-17 season.

Mazzulla dreamt of being a head coach in the NBA and was confident that it would happen one day, he just didn’t think he’d step out of relative anonymity so quickly and have the good fortune of leading the historic franchise he grew up rooting for, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

“I’ve always had faith that I was going to be an NBA head coach,” he told Spears in December of 2022. “I believed in myself, but I didn’t know it was going to happen this fast. I didn’t know it was going to happen in Boston.”

After former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was dismissed from the team due to an improper relationship ahead of the 2022-23 season, Mazzulla was offered the opportunity of a lifetime by Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens and the rest of Boston’s higher-ups. He accepted the interim head coaching job and eventually had that temporary title removed in February of 2023, officially making him the 19th man to manage the C’s.

“When I first got here, the staff, Brad’s coaching, the staff that they had, the foundation that they built with these [players] when they were young, the foundation of what we have, is one of the reasons why we’re here today,” Mazzulla said minutes after hoisting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. “Just because we won this doesn’t mean what the people have done before us isn’t just as important.”

Why Mazzulla deserves a return of appreciation

When it comes to taking credit, Mazzulla will always direct attention to those around him. Whether it’s a cook at the Auerbach Center (the Celtics practice facility) or a fellow member of his coaching staff, he always prefers to thank others rather than pat himself on the back.

If there was ever a time for Mazzulla to take a bow, though, it’d be this season. The Celtics are 35-19 overall and in second place in the East heading into the All-Star break. He probably won’t say it, but the young skipper has been an integral part of an overachieving Celtics squad that hasn’t missed a beat despite star forward Jayson Tatum being sidelined for every game of the 2025-26 campaign so far due to injury.

“One thing where I truly do appreciate Joe, aside from being an excellent coach, is that I truly do believe that he cares about us, our team as individuals, obviously myself, and the conversations that we have,” Tatum said during the 2024 NBA Finals.

With Tatum sidelined indefinitely and multiple starters gone from last season, many outsiders expected the Celtics to fail — and possibly tank. Instead, they have the fourth-best net rating and the fourth-best record in the NBA.

Mazzulla, unsurprisingly, credited the fans for contributing to the Green Team’s winning ways, explaining that their unwavering support and expectation of greatness motivate the Celtics to do better.

“I think that’s what makes the job so special of being here, and you always feel like you have a chance because of (the fans),” he told ClutchPoints following an exciting home win over the Miami Heat in December. “And you do have a responsibility to them. So I want to say thanks to that.”

Given Mazzulla’s constant uplifting of others and his gratitude for everybody who is a part of the Celtics experience, perhaps he can lose the “Psycho Joe” moniker and embrace a “Grateful Joe” nickname. Admittedly, that doesn’t roll off the tongue very well, but it seems to be much more indicative of who he is as a player’s coach, as a leader, and as a human being.