Joe Mazzulla named NBA Coach of the Year after leading Celtics through adversity
Former West Virginia guard Joe Mazzulla has been named the NBA Coach of the Year after guiding the Boston Celtics to a 56-26 record despite major roster challenges throughout the 2025-26 season.
Mazzulla, who played at West Virginia University from 2006-11, led Boston to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference after the team lost star forward Jayson Tatum for much of the season due to a torn Achilles injury and traded Kristaps Porzingis during the offseason.
The Rhode Island native earned 62 of 100 first-place votes, finishing ahead of Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff and San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson for the award, which marks the first NBA Coach of the Year honor of his career.
Mazzulla played a key role in some of the most memorable seasons in West Virginia basketball history under former head coach Bob Huggins. He helped lead the Mountaineers to the 2010 Final Four and delivered a standout performance in the Elite Eight victory over Kentucky with 17 points.
During his career at West Virginia, Mazzulla recorded 700 points and 340 assists while becoming known for his toughness and leadership.
Offer Alert
Fall camp is here and there’s no better time to sign up with us to get all your WVU intel! Sign up today – $1 for the first week, plus a complimentary year of access to The Athletic included. Join – http://gowvu.us/Join
__________________________________________
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan
•Like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
