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5 months ago
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Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stunned the press room into silence when he awkwardly dodged a reporter's question during a press conference over the weekend.
Mazzulla was asked about the reverence of the NBA finals featuring two Black head coaches for the first time in nearly half a century.
Both he and the Dallas Mavericks head coach, Jason Kidd, are Black.
'For the first time since 1975, this is the NBA Finals where you have two black head coaches,' Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports began.
'Given the plight, 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?' he asked Mazzulla.
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stunned the press room into silence over the weekend
He was asked about the importance of the NBA finals featuring two Black head coaches
The 35-year-old bizarrely dodged the question by touting his Christian faith in a very blunt response.
'I wonder how many of those have been Christian coaches,' he replied, before the room fell silent for almost 10 seconds.
His reply may have been a reference to the fact that Kidd also identifies as Catholic.
However, isn't the first time Mazzulla, who became head coach in February 2023, has made religious references while talking to reporters.
When Boston advanced to the NBA finals last month, a journalist asked him, 'Why is this the right time for this group?'
The last time there were two Black head coaches in the NBA finals was 1975
'I wonder how many of those have been Christian coaches,' he replied, as the room fell silent
The Boston Celtics are currently leading the Dallas Mavericks 2-0 in the series
He responded, 'It's just where God has us right now. We're all where we're supposed to be and right now, everyone's mindset is on helping each other and winning.'
In 2022, he was asked whether he had the opportunity to meet members of the British Royal Family who attended the Celtics' game against the Miami Heat that November.
'Jesus, Mary and Joseph?' he responded, per the Christian Post. 'I'm only familiar with one Royal Family.'
When the reporter clarified that she was talking about Prince William and Kate Middleton, Mazzulla, quipped, 'I don't know too much about that one.'
The Celtics beat the Mavericks 105-98 in Game 2 at TD Garden over the weekend, putting Boston ahead 2-0 in the series.
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