The Boston Celtics’ head coach Joe Mazzulla wore a T-shirt expressing gratitude to God this week as his team celebrated winning one of the most coveted sports honours in the US — the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship title. It’s Boston’s first major trophy since 2008 and 18th overall, the most of any NBA franchise.
During the celebration, 35-year-old Mazzulla, put on a black T-shirt that reads: But First … Let Me Thank God. He said in his opening remarks after the victory: “Obviously, for us, for me, our faith is the most important thing.”
“You get very few chances in life to be great. You get very few chances in life to carry on the ownership and responsibility of what these [Celtics championship] banners are and all the great people and great players that came here. When you get a few chances, you just got to take the bull by the horns and just own it. And our guys owned it.”
He wore the same T-shirt in post match TV interviews and while not directly addressing his shirt on the programs, he described his role as Celtics head coach as “a blessing,” adding, “I don’t deserve it. But because of grace, I’m here.”
“We’ve all been through stuff. The circumstances that we got the job under were not great, but we are exactly where we are supposed to be, and God has us where we are at. We just got to be patient and take your time and use all the pain and stuff that you’ve been through in life for the next opportunity,” said Mazzulla, referring to the dismissal of a former head coach that led to his hiring.
Earlier, Mazzulla responded to a question asking if he believed it was a “significant moment” that two teams led by African American head coaches were heading off to the championship showdown in light of the “plight” that black coaches face. He declared: “I wonder how many of those were Christian coaches.”
Mazzulla’s answer may have implied that his identity in Christ is more important to him than his skin colour. His comment also referenced the fact that the head coach of the other finalist the Dallas Mavericks, Jason Kidd — while half black and half Irish– is also Catholic. Both coaches are graduates of Catholic high schools.
Throughout his tenure as head coach of the Celtics, Joe Mazzulla has repeatedly brought up his Christian faith. He admits he’s not the same person he was in his late teens when he had some run-ins with the law.
Image: Screenshot — YouTube — NBA on ESPN
