Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has found an unlikely training partner in his quest to become a better leader: Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In a recent appearance on the “Verse Us” podcast with UFC coach Eric Nicksick, Mazzulla opened up about how martial arts training has transformed his approach to coaching and life.
The 36-year-old NBA champion coach didn’t grow up immersed in martial arts, having only done karate as a child before focusing on basketball and soccer. His return to training came during a difficult period following his father’s passing.
“The passing of him at such a young age brought me back to my childhood,” Mazzulla explained. “I was almost yearning for like the childhood relationship that I now didn’t have because my dad wasn’t there.”
But Mazzulla’s motivation extends beyond personal healing. As a head coach in the high-pressure environment of professional basketball, he wanted something that would push him outside his comfort zone.
“When I got the job I wanted something harder than when I by the time I come into the building I’ve already done something that’s significantly harder than what I’m doing here,” he said.
The mental and physical demands of jiu-jitsu have given Mazzulla a unique outlook on leadership and player development. Training on the mats has helped him relate more deeply to his players.
“It actually humbles me because by the time I get to them, I have a level of empathy for what they’re going through,” he noted. “It helps me coach them better. It helps me understand.”
The crossover between martial arts and basketball has been key. Mazzulla has learned from Nicksick‘s ability to communicate under pressure, especially during the one-minute breaks in MMA events.
“When he broke it down about how he does that and studies walkouts and all, I was like, ‘Okay, like that makes a ton of sense about how we could be more efficient in that space,'” Mazzulla said about timeout management.
Mazzulla values how martial arts forces full psychological presence. In team sports, players can sometimes disappear behind the group. That’s not possible in one-on-one competition.
“You can hide psychologically in the world today. The one place you can’t hide is in a match,” he observed.
He’s bringing those lessons into how he mentors his own kids. Even if they never train to compete, the mindset matters.
“Sometimes in team sports you can hide psychologically behind your teammates or you can hide behind the team game,” he explained.
For Mazzulla, getting humbled on the mats is part of the growth.
“I think sometimes as a coach, you always come into like who’s coaching you when you become the head coach,” he said. “And so, you know, there’s a humility aspect to just getting your a– kicked from time to time, getting coached.”
Mazzulla calls it a “white belt mentality” — always open to learning, never thinking he’s arrived. That mindset helps him cope with the pressure of leading one of the NBA’s most high-profile teams.
