Recently, Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla expressed his Christian faith during an interview in which he was asked about his thoughts on both head coaches in the NBA finals being black this year. Reportedly, it is the first NBA finals since 1975 in which the head coaches of both teams are black.
Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports said, “For the first time since 1975, this is the NBA Finals where you have two black head coaches.” He then asked Mazzulla, “Given the plight, sometimes of black head coaches in the NBA, do you think this is a significant moment? Do you take pride in this? How do you view this or do you not see it at all?”
Mazzulla deflected the question on race, instead responding, “I wonder how many of those have been Christian coaches.” This appeared to suggest that it would be more pertinent to care about one’s faith rather than the color of one’s skin.
After recently earning a spot in the NBA finals, one reporter told Mazzulla, “You’ve said that the NBA is all about timing. Why is this the right time for this group?” The Celtics coach replied, “It’s just where God has us right now. We’re all where we’re supposed to be and right now, everyone’s mindset is on helping each other and winning.”
This isn’t the first time Mazzulla has publicly expressed his faith to the press. Back in 2022, the coach was asked if he had met with the British Royal Family, who were in attendance at a game between the Celtics and the Heat. However, Mazzulla asked the reporter if he meant “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”
Mazzulla maintained that he only knows of one family that he would consider “royal.” He said, “I’m only familiar with one Royal Family. I don’t know too much about that one.” Furthermore, the head coach spoke about his faith during an interview with Sports Spectrum earlier this year.
“In the competitive environment that we are in, we are always used to earning something,” he said. “When you apply that competitive nature to your faith, it creates a lot of, for me, anxiety, stress and like and separation from Christ. So when I was able to really go down the road to grace and understanding that I can’t earn it, and I don’t have to be competitive, it’s not a win or loss. It’s an acceptance. That is one of the virtues that we can really show each other in the world today.”
The Christian Tribune has reported on many other recent examples of professional athletes proudly expressing their Christian faith. For instance, NBA star Michael Porter Jr. recently illustrated the importance of his relationship with God.
“At the end of the day basketball doesn’t matter. Money doesn’t matter. Fame doesn’t matter. The most important thing is a relationship with God,” Porter said in a social media post shared by Christlete. “Fame, money, power or anything else that you’re putting your trust in apart from Christ, cannot save you when you take your last breath,” the account added. Watch the interview with Mazzulla below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.