Nov 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla watches from the sideline as they take on the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Head coach Joe Mazzulla

Joe Mazzulla joins Bill Russell in NBA history books as Celtics win title originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

By leading the Boston Celtics to an NBA-leading 18th championship, head coach Mazzulla etched his name into the league’s history books.

Mazzulla, 35, is the fifth-youngest head coach to win a championship since the BAA merged with the NBL to become the NBA in 1950. He is the youngest since the legendary Bill Russell, who won the title as a 34-year-old player-coach in 1968.

Mazzulla accomplished the feat in just his second season as a head coach. The Rhode Island native unexpectedly was called upon to replace Ime Udoka as Boston’s interim coach to start the 2022-23 campaign. On Feb. 16, 2023, he was officially hired as the 19th head coach in Celtics history.