Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is not one to hide his Catholic faith. Known for making references to the Gospel during press conferences, reserving special courtside seats for Catholic priests and carrying a gigantic rosary, the NBA coach just revealed the biggest news of all: his desire to become a Catholic deacon.
Speaking with Dominican priest Joseph Anthony Kress at the podcast GodsplainingMazzulla was asked: “What would you say is your next professional goal?”
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And instead of talking about another NBA title or the playoffsthe daily communicant surprised listeners: “I just became eligible to be a deacon, something I’ve always wanted to do. There it is. I’ve been thinking about it.”
The young coach did not share more about this exciting news, but when speaking further about what his career goal would be when it comes to coaching, Mazzulla shared:
“I think winning has been scarier for me because it’s like I’m fighting with God. Like, do I get greedy and want more? How do you find the space to want more and still be grateful for what God has given you? Because my biggest fear is that, 10 years from now, I’ll wake up and be the rich young man. And that life has passed me by, and I’m not willing to give up my treasures on this earth because I’ll have given everything to a worldliness.”
The interview brings Mazzulla’s Catholic faith to the forefront in very unique ways. Speaking of his own upbringing, he acknowledged how much his faith shaped him.
“I was very lucky, mainly because I grew up in an environment where faith and Catholicism were a normal part of life. I lived half a kilometer from a church. I went to church on Sundays and attended a Catholic school from kindergarten to 12th grade.”
As we know, Mazzulla has become a real influencer within the Catholic sphere for his openness about his faith, including viral moments, such as when he is asked about meeting the royal family and he quickly answers: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph?”
In that same exchange, the sports reporter reiterates: “The Prince and Princess of Wales,” and Mazzulla finishes the play: “I’m only familiar with one royal family. I don’t know much about that one. But I hope they are Celtics fans.”
But when Father Joseph Anthony Kress asks Mazzulla who influences him, the NBA coach said, “I’m very grateful to have connections with current and former players. And some are people of strong faith, and some are not. I don’t really think that matters, but the kind of relationships you can build with people is the reason I’m really into all of this.”
He also mentions his priest and long-time friend, the P. Marcel Taillonwhom he has known since 8th grade (a priest also very dear to my family), and the many fruits of that friendship.
“Being able to have a constant priest, constant teaching but also accountability, for him to be there in all the different stages of my life, stages of entering high school, we develop our faith through so many different experiences and throughout high school, the recruiting period, what college you are going to choose, going to college, the ups and downs of college, starting your career, moving your family,” he said. “And it all culminates in returning to the place where we started together, which is here in New England, and then taking the journey of faith together is something. I’ve had people along the way, but Father Taillon is someone who has been there for a long, long time and has really helped me through every stage of my life.”
“If we all look at our lives as a testimony,” Mazzulla continued, “I think there are two different types. I think God puts people in your life for particular moments, whether it’s one day, one year, or three to five years. So how can you impact that person in the time that you have with them? How can you use the gifts that God has given you during the time that you have? So I think then you have some relationships that are lasting and go beyond time. You should never give “The time you have to invest in someone is taken for granted.”
Living with intention truly seems to be the way of working of the coach. And he said the decision to live this way came when he realized the hard truth that we are asked to understand as Catholics.
“For me, personally, it’s believing that what God says about you is true. Something so simple, but so difficult. And I would say that for a long time I didn’t always believe that what He said about me was true. When you neglect that and you don’t believe it, you go out looking for falsehoods. So they become things that are a little bit easier to believe. As a kid, it’s easier to believe that your identity is in basketball than to believe that someone died for you and gave their entire life. for you You have this grace, and you cannot earn it, it is simply given to you. And all you have to do is accept. And that is difficult to accept.”
“How do I accept that?” Mazzulla asked. “How do I believe it? And how do I live it?”
Mazzulla also spoke of keeping his wife and family close to him during the season, guided by the verse: “I and my family will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
“Throughout the season,” he said, his wife often travels with him, “because I think it’s important to work on your marriage as much as your training. playoffsshe is in every game”, and they attend Mass together daily and every Sunday.
Father Kress noted that many people live as if “this life happens to us, rather than ‘I’m going to live this life with this person this way.’”
And Mazzulla said that for him, “it’s a conscious effort and it’s a mindset. This is who we’re going to be. We’re going to interpret the things that happen to us through the lens of Christ.”
“The struggle of being a person of faith,” Mazzulla admitted, “is that you are going to disappoint people,” and he strives to live like Christ, but there are some things that baffle him in this digital age. “Obviously, God is omniscient, and Jesus was who He was on this earth, but I have a hard time saying, OK, how would Jesus handle Instagram?”
Coach Mazzulla also shared his pregame ritual, which includes praying the Rosary with some beads he made from wood from the old Boston Celtics hardwood.
“I think it’s important to have the perspective that God gave me my dream job at a very young age, so how can you live it to the fullest and also try to be as present as possible? Just combining my favorite things – basketball, Rosario, the Celtics – having that pre-game ritual keeps you focused and grounded in the opportunity and responsibility that God has given you.”
“It’s something I value very much,” Mazzulla shared, saying that his love of Marian prayer emerged at a young age, seeds planted in Catholic school.
“At St. Mary’s, we did the Living Rosary, and we represented a bead. When you passed the microphone and each one was a bead? That’s how it started.”
Mazzulla wondered if they still do the Living Rosary, and I can assure everyone that Catholic schools do, including here in New Jersey, where my daughter will represent her account by wearing blue tomorrow. And today I’ll say a prayer that the experience can have the same impact on her that it had on Coach Joe.
God bless Joe Mazzulla, and may we all learn to live with the same intentionality as him!
Editor’s note: This article is a translation of a post by Alyssa Murphy on the National Catholic Register blog. The opinions expressed in this article correspond exclusively to its author.
Alyssa Murphy
Alyssa Murphy is the executive editor of digital assets at the National Catholic Register. He began his career on the airwaves in San Francisco and has worked in all facets of media. Alyssa enjoys writing and covering stories that inspire and uplift.