Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has always been known for having a different mentality.
He isn’t the kind of coach who is focused on cementing his own name in NBA history. Instead, his goal is centered around something far different from what most might expect.
Joe Mazzulla Reveals the Unique Celtics Legacy He Wants To Leave BehindMazzulla has been at the helm in Boston since the 2022-23 season. Before taking over the Celtics, his only previous head-coaching experience came during a two-year stint at Fairmont State in West Virginia.
The Celtics coach has always carried an ambitious mindset, constantly looking for ways to take Boston to greater heights. However, his ultimate goal is not to build a legacy around his name or ensure he is remembered for everything he accomplished.
In an interview this week with Josh Chambers of the University of Maryland basketball program, Mazzulla revealed that his goal as the Celtics coach is, in fact, to be forgotten.
“If the people around you didn’t do what they do,” Mazzulla said. “I wouldn’t do anything. The thing I reflect on the most is- I think you have to be willing to be forgotten. I think that’s kind of my main goal.”
“I want to be forgotten about. Because that means after you, it was better. I think that’s what it means to be a Celtic. However long you play, coach, work for the Celtics.”
Mazzulla has consistently rejected the idea of personal glory. For him, the true measure of his impact is whether the team is in a better position when his time at Boston ends.
“It’s a burden and a love for being with the Celtics,” Mazzulla continued. “But it’s a responsibility. I think we could take that into our daily life. Can I leave it so much better that they don’t remember me because the next person came and was better?”
Having guided the Celtics to their 18th NBA championship in 2024, Mazzulla has already accomplished something few coaches can boast of.
That championship also placed Mazzulla among the youngest coaches ever to win an NBA title. He became the ninth-youngest coach to accomplish the feat and the youngest since Bill Russell won a championship with Boston as a player-coach in 1969.
Following last season, Mazzulla added another major individual honor to his résumé when he was named NBA Coach of the Year, becoming just the fourth coach in franchise history to receive Coach of the Year honors.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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