The Boston Celtics coach, who has been open about his faith, took another bold stance when his team won the NBA Championship Monday night. During post-game interviews, he wore a faith-themed T-shirt and told one interviewer, “God put us here for a reason.”
Mazzulla, a Second-year head coach, helped lead the Celtics to a 106-88 victory over Dallas in a game that clinched the franchise’s 18th NBA title but its first in 16 years. In doing so, he became the youngest coach since 1970 to win a ring. He’s 35.
Mazzulla’s strong faith in Christ has often led to viral moments, such as when he was asked last season if he had met the British royal family when Prince William attended a game. Mazzulla responded, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph? I’m only familiar with one royal family.”
On Monday, Mazzulla wore a white T-shirt in post-game interviews that will likely go viral. The front of it read in large all-capital letters: “BUT FIRST … LET ME THANK GOD.” On Tuesday morning, lookalike shirts were already being sold on clothing websites.
In 2023, he told the Sports Spectrum podcast that he tries to model his leadership style after Jesus.
He said, “The part of Him that I kind of resonate the most with is His leadership style and who He was just as a person… Regardless of anything else, there’s a reason why 2,023 years later, there are still people talking about Him.”