Joe Mazzulla is a standout NBA head coach who has a style of his own. We all have witnessed that by now. For example, how many hoop team bosses do you know who practice Brazilian ju-jitsu regularly? … The Celt also is a man of deep faith, carries a rosary made of the original Boston Garden Parquet, and likes to say his prayers while walking around the court when it’s empty.

Mazzulla is a local boy, who grew up playing in Rhode Island in local gyms and fields, chasing his dad. He talks about this in an interview with NBC Sports Boston on YouTube, he recalls hooping on a local court, as he says, “I remember from like 12 years on all the way up until college I would come and play pickup with like all the police officers my uncles. That’s where I learned, like you know how not to make excuses, toughness and they didn’t take it easy on me.”

Then Joe transitions into talking about his dad and how he made him, who he is now. Joe’s father Dan Mazzulla passed away in 2020 battling cancer. “It took 4 years to grieve his death because of last season was just one of the biggest challenges that I’ve went through in life without him.“ the head coach said, remembering Dad in a big moment of his career which was the Conference finals against Miami Heat in the 2022-23 season. Mazzulla also mentions that the day of Game 7 was his dad’s birthday!

Joe Mazzulla was born in Johnston, Rhode Island on June 30th, 1988, which makes him American. The hoop enthusiast was born into a biracial family, giving him a mixed ethnic background. Dan Mazzulla was Italian and Latersa Mazulla was an African-American.

Joe Mazzulla’s ethnically diverse family and hoops background

Dan Mazzulla was a basketball player himself and he was the one to introduce the sport to his kids. Dan attended Bryant University, where he played for the Bulldogs basketball team and later was inducted into Bryant University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. His official bio read, “One of the most prolific scorers in Bulldog history.“ Then, Dan went to play professionally in Chile for five years before the hooper came back home to pursue coaching and recruitment jobs in the sport.

Dan and Latresa Mazzulla have 3 kids, Joe is the eldest child and has 2 younger siblings, his brother Justin- who played basketball at George Washington and then transferred to the University of Vermont, and sister Gianna- who hooped at Johnston Senior High School (JHS) during her dad’s reign as the head coach.

Joe Mazzulla’s faith and beliefs

“It’s my anchor, and it’s been the most important thing. I’ve enjoyed just the challenge of having to stick with that and even when it’s difficult at times.” This is what Joe Mazzulla had to say when asked about the importance of being a Christian.

He has been very open and vocal about what he believes in, on many occasions. “The ability to handle ebbs and flows, the humility to understand that there’s a plan that’s much bigger than just who you are individually and have an impact on other people and then using the gifts that God has given you to try to impact those people,” Mazzulla continued.

Mazzulla doesn’t try to hide it or downplay his faith after winning the much-anticipated NBA championship with the Boston Celtics, which made him the youngest coach ever to win one. He was seen wearing a t-shirt that read, “But first … let me thank God“. According to him, his faith also translates into his coaching and it has yielded some great results for the teams he’s coached.