Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was named the NBA's Coach of the Year on Tuesday night, officially wrapping up the league's postseason awards schedule.
Mazzulla led the Celtics to 56 wins in 2025-26 and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference despite Jayson Tatum missing most of the season with a torn Achilles tendon. Boston lost to Philadelphia in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
"It's two-fold. At the end of the day, regardless of what happens in the offseason or what moves may be made or what it is, the process towards a championship is the No. 1 goal, and sticking to that process," Mazzulla said on NBC's pregame show ahead of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. "That's a credit to the players and it's a credit to the entire organization.
"In one of our first meetings this year, we met our entire building and said we are going to stick to the process of winning and not get caught up in the external thing. I thought the commitment from the entire organization to sticking to the process ... we obviously fell short of that, but I thought throughout the regular season our guys came in every day with a chip on their shoulders. They came in wanting to stick to that process and getting better every day."
The 37-year-old Mazzulla, who turns 38 on June 30, is the youngest winner of the award since Phil Johnson in 1975, the NBA said.
He is 238-90 in four seasons with Boston -- the best record in the league over that span -- and led the Celtics to an NBA championship in 2024.
Mazzulla is the fourth coach in franchise history to earn Coach of the Year honors, joining Bill Fitch (1979-80), Tommy Heinsohn (1972-73) and Red Auerbach (1964-65).
He credited his coaching staff for being the reason he was in position to accept the award.
"That means everything to me," Mazzulla said of honoring his staff. "I think a lot of times the long nights, the trips, the game plans, the video guys that are clipping up the film and coding it, and the assistants that are putting it together, there's so much that goes into winning one game, and it starts with the players, but it goes to our staff. I feel bad that they are not here, but I'm forever indebted to the guys that we have that give up time with their families and time to win every day."
Mazzulla finished with 62 of the 100 first-place votes and was on 96 of the 100 ballots, both the most of any coach this year.
Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff finished second for a second straight year after leading the Pistons to the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, while San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson finished third.
With Mazzulla being honored, NBA awards season is over. In addition to the All-NBA, All-Defense and All-Rookie teams, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP and Clutch Player of the Year; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker was named the league's Most Improved Player; Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was named the Defensive Player of the Year, while teammate Keldon Johnson won the Sixth Man of the Year award; and Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg was named the Rookie of the Year.
