Joe Mazzulla's NBA title celebration will have to be put on hold.
The Boston Celtics head coach revealed in an interview with ESPN, following the team's 106-88 championship-clinching win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, that he has been coaching on a torn meniscus since March.
"Guess what. I gotta have knee surgery," Mazzulla said when asked how he was going to celebrate after leading the Celtics to their 18th banner in franchise history. "I tore my meniscus in March after we lost to Atlanta... I'm gonna be out a little while, so I've been working through it."
Mazzulla, 35, became the youngest head coach to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy since Bill Russell in 1969.
A college basketball player at West Virginia, Mazzulla became an assistant coach as soon as he had finished school. He worked his way up as an assistant, making stops in NCAA Division II hoops and the G League before joining the Celtics.
He was named Boston's interim coach for the 2022-23 season before the interim tag was lifted in February.
In his two seasons at the head of the bench, Mazzulla has led the Celtics to a 121-43 record in the regular season and 27-12 mark in the post-season.
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