Boston Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla was asked about the rarity of two Black head coaches being in the NBA Finals, and his response was met with 10 seconds of silence.
Mazzulla leading Boston against Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks marks the first time two Black head coaches were competing in the NBA Finals since 1975, when Al Attles coached the Golden State Warriors against K.C. Jones and the Washington Bullets in the championship series. Prior to Game 2 of this season’s NBA Finals, Mazzulla was asked about the importance of the series featuring two Black head coaches for the first time in nearly a half-century.
— Oren Weisfeld (@OrenWeisfeld) June 8, 2024
“Given the plight of, 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?” Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports asked Mazzulla.
While Kidd and NBA commissioner Adam Silver responded to similar questions by acknowledging it was a notable moment, Mazzulla was more dismissive of the question.
“I wonder how many of those have been Christian coaches?” Mazzulla asked in response to Goodwill’s question.
Mazzulla did not provide any further context and his response was met with 10 seconds of silence from the seemingly stunned media room. There was no follow up on the topic, only a PR person breaking the silence by inviting the next question from David Aldridge.
Diversity among NBA head coaches has long been a contentious debate. Just a few years ago, less than 10 percent of NBA head coaches were Black, despite more than 80 percent of the league’s players being Black. But there has been a significant shift recently, with the league having more Black head coaches than white for the first time ever last season. The NBA Finals featuring two Black head coaches is an opportunity to spotlight the league’s progress, but Mazzulla didn’t seem interested in supporting the narrative.
Downplaying the importance of two Black head coaches being in the NBA Finals was a bit of a surprising take by Mazzulla, but it should still be respected. Mazzulla is under a lot of pressure to lead the Celtics to a championship this season. Being one of two Black head coaches in the NBA Finals doesn’t lessen the pressure to win and it won’t lessen the criticism he receives if the Celtics lose.
Mazzulla might not see the need to celebrate the importance of an NBA Finals featuring two Black head coaches. But that shouldn’t stop the league from doing so, especially in its efforts to advocate for diversity.
