“I study Pep a lot. It’s had a huge influence (on me)… I think where basketball and soccer are the same is the transition is happening so fast,” said Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla once. In the world of sports, it isn’t that uncommon for coaches and players to develop friendships with those belonging to another field. Joe Mazzulla and Pep Guardiola, one of the most decorated managers in the field of soccer, have done the same. From the NBA coach visiting Manchester City FC last February during the NBA’s All-Star break, to Guardiola attending Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Boston and the Dallas Mavericks, the mutual respect the two sports officials hold for each other is quite prominently on display. This is why, when Mazzulla received some good news recently, Guardiola was among the biggest names to mark the moment.

Renowned NBA reporter Marc Stein was recently able to engage the football manager in a Q&A session. During the same time, Pep Guardiola went on to say that “The NBA has always been important in my life.” He also reportedly praised Boston for extending the contract of Joe Mazzulla by saying, “I love it”.

Joe Mazzulla was recently given a multi-year extension, though the team has not dived into the specifics of it yet. This deal comes after Mazzulla led the Boston Celtics to the most wins in the regular season over the past three seasons, along with securing the NBA title during the 2023-24 season. To think that he was originally hired as interim head coach in September 2022, after Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for violating multiple team policies. In just a few years, the coach has come a long way.

Over the years, Joe Mazzulla hasn’t been one to take sole credit for the success he gained over the years. When it came to winning the NBA title for the Boston Celtics, the 37-year-old even gave some credit to Pep Guardiola! ‘The Athletic’ reporter Sam Lee covered Mazzulla praising the Manchester City manager, who said that “Dallas’ defence; they’re one of the smartest, best defensive teams in the league. That’s kind of what Pep has helped me with: spacing. It’s very important. Transitions, how you move those guys.”

Before the spacing chat, Mazzulla had also spoken about the similarities between football, basketball, and other sports when visiting Manchester. This allowed him to broaden his horizon and learn different tactics from different sports that could be applied to the way the Celtics operate.

“I study Pep a lot. It’s had a huge influence (on me)” said Mazzulla. “I think where basketball and soccer are the same is the transition is happening so fast. You can be on offense and two seconds later, you can be on defense, so the game is constantly changing. To me, regardless of the sport, it could be lacrosse, soccer, or basketball; those one-on-one situations, all fundamentals are the same.”

Therefore, it would have certainly meant a lot for the Celtics head coach to receive that ‘congratulatory message’ from the person he looks up to. The extension is certainly something for Joe Mazzulla to celebrate. After all, it provides comfort that a small part of his future is covered as the Celtics front office is set to undergo some major changes.

Boston Celtics’ $6.1 Billion Sale Set To Be Closed In Two Weeks

No sooner had Joe Mazzulla led the Boston Celtics squad to a championship win in 2024 than team owner Wyc Grousbeck announced his intention to sell the team. Eventually, a sale was announced back in March for a whopping $6.1 billion valuation, with the ownership sold to investor William ‘Bill’ Chisholm and the private equity firm Sixth Street. Now, the only thing that remains is for the sale to be finalized.

According to a recent Sportico article, the sale is set to close either late next week or early the following week. These reports come from three anonymous people who are reportedly familiar with the details. A final hurdle in the deal’s finalization is gaining approval from the league’s board of governors, which consists of the other 30 team owners.

Amongst the first people to speak to Chisholm after the announcement of the sale, back in March, was Mazzulla himself. During a podcast appearance, he claimed it to be a “good conversation”. Mazzulla gave his praise to Wyc and Steve Pagliuca, but at the same time, also said that “it’s great that we have someone that is from the area and has a passion and commitment to just keep pushing the Celtics forward, just trying to be the best that it could be. He shares that and looking forward to kind of building our relationship with him.”

Chisholm’s confidence in the head coach, too, was shown through the recent contract extension. However, that is just one thing. Over the next few years, we will be seeing just how much the coach and the new owner really adjust to each other.