Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla will lead Team Giannis during the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.
Mazzulla is the first interim head coach to earn an All-Star nod since Ty Lue in 2016. This is only the third first-year coach to earn the honor in the past 24 years.
While the Celtics were inactive on Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers’ loss to the Orlando Magic guaranteed the Celtics would have the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference at the February 5 cutoff. All-Star Game coaches are determined by which team has the best record in each conference at that deadline date.
Training at #NBAAllStar will be a great experience for our staff ⭐️☘️ pic.twitter.com/dEPs7jKY1z
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 31, 2023
Mazzulla, 34, is the youngest coach in the league. He was working with Fairmount State at the Division II level just four years ago. He joined Brad Stevens’ staff in 2019 and has been with the organization ever since.
Shortly before this season’s training camp, Mazzulla was promoted to interim head coach. This came after Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire season for “violations of team policies” which reportedly stemmed from an inappropriate relationship with a member of team staff.
Mazzulla fit in very well with the team. Jayson Tatum, in particular, noted at the press day that Mazzulla had “been a great help to me, to other guys, to the team in general over the last few years that he’s been here. He’s motivated, and I think if you’re motivated then you’re going to succeed.”
With the entire organization behind him, Mazzulla helped the Celtics get off to a great 21-5 start that gave them an early lead for the best record in the NBA.
Although they have not been as good in recent months. Boston is 16-10 since that historic start. They still hold a 1.5 game lead over the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the league. They are the betting favorites to win the title according to Massachusetts sportsbooks.
This season’s All-Star Game will take place on February 19 and will feature Team LeBron against Team Giannis. Headlines were announced last week, while reservations will be announced on February 2. The rosters will be decided just before kickoff, as the league has moved the captain’s draft to game night to add additional intrigue.
