Joe Mazzulla’s father, Dan Mazzulla Jr, was a basketball player and coach.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla walked off the floor at TD Garden following a crushing Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, with a timeout still in his pocket.
He opted not to use his final timeout after Jalen Brunson hit a free throw to put the Knicks ahead by a point with 12.7 seconds left.
Instead, he let the Celtics play out the final possession, and things got messy as Mazzulla looked on.
Mazzulla explained that the Celtics ran the same full-court action that got Tatum, who struggled offensively, scoring just 13 points on 5-for-19 shooting, including a wide-open dunk on their previous possession. He told reporters that,
“Got a good look on the exact same play 20 seconds earlier,” “Tried to execute the exact same thing. They did a better job of their lower pick up point and we weren’t able to get the advantage that we had on the last Tatum dunk.”
Joe Mazzulla
The timeout would have saved the Celtics a couple of ticks on the clock by advancing the ball.
If the Celtics had missed a shot quickly following a timeout, they could have fouled the Knicks, only able to extend their lead to three points.
That could have set up one more last-ditch attempt for Boston to tie the game.
Coach Joseph Art Mazzulla Was Raised By His Biracial Parents
Born on June 30, 1988, Joseph Art Mazzulla, 38, shared a close bond with his father, Daniel “Danny” E. Mazzulla, and his mother, Latresa Mazzulla.
His father, Dan, was an Italian-American, and his mother, Latresa, is African-American. Therefore, Joe holds a mixed ethnic background.
Dan graduated from Johnston High School, leading the Panthers to two state title games before attending Bryant University.
He played basketball throughout high school and college. He then went to Chile and played professionally for five years before returning to his hometown of Johnston, Rhode Island.
Once he returned home, he became the director of the Johnston Parks and Recreation Department. In 2007, he was inducted into the Bryant University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Sadly, Dan passed away on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, at 61 due to the complications of brain cancer. His funeral Liturgy was privately held in St. Rocco Church, Johnston, on Saturday, April 25, 2020.
On the other hand, Joe’s mother, Latresa, has managed to avoid social media, so little information about her personal life is known.
Joe Mazzulla Grew Up In Johnston With His Two Younger Siblings
Coach Joe Mazzulla grew up playing basketball with his two younger siblings: Justin and Gianna Mazzulla.
Justin is a graduate assistant for the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball program, a role he started in June 2022.
He competed for George Washington University and the University of Vermont, appearing in 118 career games and averaging 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
Justin earned Academic All-Conference honors at GW, where he was a team captain and an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Off the court, he coached youth basketball through Ernie Duncan Hoops and Rise to the Top. He graduated from Vermont with a degree in Psychological Science and a minor in Spanish.
On the other hand, Joe’s sister Gianna played basketball for her father at Johnston Hugh School.
She has two kids: a son, Jaziah, who started 8th grade in August 2022, and a daughter named Giabella, who had her first day of school at the same time.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Joe has been married to Camai Roberson since 2014, whom he met while coaching at Glenville State University in 2011. They have two sons, Emmanuel and Michael Mazzulla.
- He is a fan of Manchester City, a Premier League club, and has developed friendships with its manager, Pep Guardiola.
- As a freshman at West Virginia, Mazzulla helped the team win the 2007 National Invitation Tournament under coach John Beilein.
- In April 2009, Mazzulla was arrested for domestic battery at a bar in Morgantown, West Virginia, and was suspended by coach Bob Huggins.
