Celtics Owner Says He Threatened Jazz Exec If He Stole Assistant Coach

Utah was looking to recruit a key coach on Boston’s bench but he wasn’t going to let it happen.

Steal one coach from Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, all is well. Try to steal a second, and the gloves are off. 

During an interview on The Greg Hill Show, Grousbeck talked about how Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge hired former Celtics assistant Will Hardy to be the organization’s new coach and that he wouldn’t allow him to do it twice. Ainge, who stepped down as the Celtics president of basketball operations in 2021 to take the job in Utah, also apparently tried to recruit Boston interim coach Joe Mazzulla before Ime Udoka’s year-long suspension, and Grousbeck wasn’t having it. 

“I prevented Danny from stealing him this summer, because I told Danny I’d fly to Utah and, like, personally strangle him if he did. You can quote that,” Grousbeck said. “You can take one person, an assistant, and make them a head coach, and they did with Will Hardy. And then they also wanted Mazzulla, and I was like, ‘That’s it, you’re crossing the line, and we’re not having it.’ And that was just when Joe was senior assistant with us, and now all of a sudden he’s interim head coach.”

Mazzulla made his debut as interim coach Tuesday night when the Celtics defeated the 76ers 126–117 and it’s fair to say Grousbeck isn’t prepared to lose him without a fight.

• Inside The Celtics: After Opening Night Win, Celtics Express Their Belief in Joe Mazzulla, His Collaborative Approach 

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