The act of being humble gets associated with passiveness. But, can somebody be actively humble? Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla answers that question with his coaching. In fact, he might even be aggressively humble, going out of his way to put others first and frequently refusing credit.
This extreme humility doesn't just come from what the fifth-year head coach says. It's what he does, too. For instance, he has his own office at the Celtics' practice facility in Boston, however, he avoids going in there. He views it as separating himself from his team and putting himself above others. The Rhode Island native explained this on the latest episode of the "White Noise" podcast with Celtics shooting guard Derrick White and also mentioned how he despises
the word "coach," preferring that nobody calls him that.
Joe Mazzulla said he hates being called “coach” and doesn’t like being in his separate office at the Celtics’ facility.
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 26, 2026
He emphasized being on a level playing field with others:
“I always tell the guys that they’re better at what they do than I am at what I do. So, we got to… pic.twitter.com/GSISbHkj2F
"Coach is — if you can get past that, it just breaks the barrier," Mazzulla described of his philosophy. "I always tell the guys that they’re better at what they do than I am at what I do. So, we got to all be on the same level, be collaborative. There are ways I'm going to help you, but I'm going to listen to you just as much as I hope you listen to me, and vice versa."
The reigning NBA Coach of the Year doesn't want to be referred to as coach — go figure. And yet, knowing Mazzulla's leadership style, it's not surprising at all. At different points during the preseason, he let his assistant coaches assume head-coaching duties, asked White to draw up a play for the Green Team, and had veteran point guard Mike Conley control substitutions.
"The people in the building are actually much more important than I am, because they see the players first," Mazzulla said of the staff at the Auerbach Center back in 2024. "Whether it's kitchen, whether it's security…they make sure we're ready to go.”
Mazzulla believes in an egalitarian organization, or radical equality. The coaching he gives Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum is just as important as the coaching he gives Boston's reserve players.
"We just take away the barriers and meet at the same level," Mazzulla told White.
Maybe this modus operandi is why the Celtics play so hard for him and exceeded expectations last regular season. They aim to do the same during the 2026-27 campaign, as they hold a 1-1 record following a thrilling 107-103 win over the reigning champion New York Knicks on Friday evening.
Up next for the C's are the 1-2 Chicago Bulls, who they'll host at TD Garden on Monday night.
"He sees us as people instead of just players, and that alone is just unbelievable," first-year Celtic Mitchell Robinson told Celtics Wire on Media Day.
Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:
Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Why Joe Mazzulla hates when you call him coach
