Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is officially the NBA Coach of the Year, and the reaction around the league showed why the award was both celebrated and debated.
The NBA announced Mazzulla as the 2025-26 winner of the Red Auerbach Trophy on May 26, making him the first Celtics head coach to win Coach of the Year since Bill Fitch in 1979-80. Mazzulla is only the fourth coach in franchise history to win the honor, joining Fitch, Red Auerbach and Tom Heinsohn.
At 37, Mazzulla is also the youngest NBA Coach of the Year winner since Phil Johnson in 1974-75, according to NBA Communications.
For Boston, the award is another piece of leaguewide validation after a season that tested the Celtics’ depth, adaptability and internal belief. For the rest of the NBA, it also sparked a familiar awards-season conversation: Mazzulla had a strong case, but he was not the only coach with one.
NBA Reporters React to Joe Mazzulla’s Coach of the Year Win
Several NBA reporters quickly weighed in after Mazzulla’s win became official.
Scott Agness called the 2025-26 Coach of the Year race “one of the toughest to single out one,” while noting the Celtics “won 56 games and were the 2-seed in the East despite Tatum only playing 16 games + many roster changes.”
So many great coaches to choose from.
Celtics won 56 games and were the 2-seed in the East despite Tatum only playing 16 games + many roster changes
That is the center of Mazzulla’s case. The Celtics did not simply roll through the regular season with a fully intact championship-level roster. They stayed near the top of the Eastern Conference while adjusting to a different version of themselves.
The Athletic’s Jared Weiss leaned into the unusual way the award can be viewed in Boston.
“Deepest condolences to Joe Mazzulla for winning coach of the year, but a big congrats to his staff,” Weiss posted. “Very well earned.”
Law Murray of The Athletic made a similar joke about the pressure attached to coaching in Boston.
Congrats to 2026 Coach of the Year Joe Mazzulla
But also
Good luck to Joe Mazzulla
A championship in 2024 and COY in 2026. And now will face annual calls for his firing for the rest of the decade, especially in that market
“Congrats to 2026 Coach of the Year Joe Mazzulla,” Murray wrote. “But also Good luck to Joe Mazzulla. A championship in 2024 and COY in 2026. And now will face annual calls for his firing for the rest of the decade, especially in that market.”
That reaction captured the strange reality of Mazzulla’s job. He has already won a championship, now has a Coach of the Year award, and still works in a market where every playoff loss can become a referendum.
Mazzulla Credits Celtics Players, Staff After Winning Award
Mazzulla’s own reaction fit the way he has often discussed individual recognition.
During an interview with the NBC/Peacock crew, Mazzulla pointed the credit back to Boston’s players and staff rather than treating the award as a personal achievement.
“There’s so much that goes into winning one game,” Mazzulla said, noting that the work starts with the players but also extends throughout the Celtics’ staff.
He also praised the group’s mindset, saying Boston’s players “came in with a chip on their shoulder” and “wanted to get better every day.”
Mazzulla added that he was “forever indebted” to the people around him and said he wanted to thank his staff.
“I love those guys,” Mazzulla said.
That staff-first reaction matters because it matches the larger Celtics story. This was not a season carried by one simple factor. Boston had to manage injuries, roster changes and a different nightly formula while still winning 56 games.
Pistons Case Adds Debate to Mazzulla’s Win
The reaction was not all Celtics-focused.
Some of the most notable responses came from observers who saw Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff as a very strong candidate. Bickerstaff was one of the finalists for the award, along with Mazzulla and San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, according to the NBA’s awards page.
Pistons beat reporter Coty M. Davis posted, “Wow………….SMDH,” shortly after the announcement.
Omari Sankofa II also pointed to Detroit’s turnaround, writing that the Pistons improved from 14 wins to 44 wins, then from 44 to 60, while Bickerstaff and Trajan Langdon were finalists for Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in both seasons but did not win either award.
Hunter Patterson added: “Not sure what else J.B. Bickerstaff could’ve done to win Coach of the Year. That’s tough.”
Those reactions are important because they show this was not viewed as an obvious landslide. Bickerstaff had a classic Coach of the Year résumé: a major team turnaround, a 60-win season and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Reuters reported that Detroit went 60-22, earned the East’s top seed and won its first playoff series since 2008 under Bickerstaff.
That does not weaken Mazzulla’s case as much as it explains the debate. Voters had to weigh Detroit’s dramatic climb against Boston’s ability to remain elite despite major obstacles.
NBA World Reacts to Boston Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla News