Joe Mazzulla Receives NBA Championship Ring, Says 'I'm Never Going to Wear It'

What do you know? It's just Joe being Joe. The former Mountaineer discusses receiving his championship ring.

David Butler II-Imagn Images

It's the start of a new basketball season, so last night the Boston Celtics had their championship ceremony prior to tipping off the new campaign against the New York Knicks.

The team revealed the newest championship banner and handed out rings as well. Former West Virginia guard and head coach of the Celtics, Joe Mazzulla, is not a huge fan of the bling, as you could have guessed.

He gave a pretty Bob Huggins-like response when asked about receiving the ring and what that moment was like for him.

“When I got the ring…I don’t know, the thing is too big. I don’t know why it’s so big. I’m never going to wear it but it’s cool to have. I was more fascinated by the banner because I come in here every afternoon and take a look at those and they represent so much. The banner was the highlight for me because it represents a lot of things that go into it and the rafters have a life of their own in this building. That moment was the coolest.”

During the pregame ceremony, Mazzulla kissed the hardwood at TD Garden, paying homage to all of the legendary players and coaches who have helped build the Celtics into a premier NBA franchise.

“I just thought that was a moment and a way to express myself. The parquet is…that’s blood, sweat, and tears of the greats. I don’t get to go out there and dive for loose balls like I’d love to or do any of that, so that was just a way to express the passion and the gratitude that I have for our team and the people that have come before and just what it means to be a Celtic. There’s no place better than this city and this team, and just being in the arena with the people, so that was important.”

Joe Mazzulla is my favorite person ever 😭

pic.twitter.com/RLunRQQ0e0

— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) October 22, 2024

He told reporters following the team's opening night win that while he doesn't want his squad to forget last year's special run they can't live in the past.

“I don’t mean to discredit the past, but it’s not closure because the things that we replicated…we’re trying to replicate the process of winning. It’s not about the past from the standpoint of like the result. But what we do want to constantly focus on is the process of winning. We were able to get to the highest pinnacle of that by the way we played on both ends of the floor for a long, extended period of time over a hundred games. That’s what we’re trying to do now.

"It’s not about forgetting that. You just can’t stay attached to the result of that. But we should constantly be reminding ourselves of what we were able to replicate over the course of a nine-month season with our consistency, and our toughness, and the mindset that we have. That’s what we’re trying to build on. We just can’t get stuck in the result of it.”

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