H 8597

2026 -- H 8597
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LC006542
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  STATE  OF        RHODE  ISLAND
  IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
  JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
  ____________
  HOUSE RESOLUTION
CONGRATULATING RHODE ISLAND NATIVE JOSEPH MAZZULLA, HEAD COACH OF
THE BOSTON CELTICS, ON BEING NAMED THE 2025-2026 NATIONAL BASKETBALL
  ASSOCIATION COACH OF THE YEAR
  Introduced By: Representatives Fellela, Blazejewski, Kazarian, Place, Fascia, Hull, J.
  Lombardi, Noret, Costantino, and Lima
  Date Introduced: May 28, 2026
  Referred To: House read and passed
1WHEREAS, Since being named the Boston Celtics Head Coach on September 22, 2022,
2 Coach Mazzulla has led the Celtics to 4 straight first-place finishes in the Atlantic Division, 4
3 straight playoff berths, an NBA championship in 2024, and 2 other trips to the Eastern
4 Conference Finals. Overall, the Celtics under his leadership have compiled an astounding .726
5 winning percentage in the last 4 NBA regular seasons; and
6WHEREAS, Thanks to the sterling guidance and basketball acumen provided by Coach
7 Mazzulla, forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have developed into NBA superstars and
8 MVP contenders, and he has helped to develop guards Payton Pritchard and Derrick White into
9 All-Star-caliber players; and
10WHEREAS, Entering the 2025-2026 season, expectations were low for the Celtics after
11 Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tear during the 2025 playoffs, an injury that also forced him to
12 sit out nearly the entire first half of the current NBA season. Most people expected the Celtics to
13 suffer through a difficult rebuilding season, but instead Coach Mazzulla led the Celtics to a
14 sterling 56-26 record, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, and the fourth best record
15 in the NBA. The Celtics also once again won the Atlantic Division and advanced to the NBA
16 Playoffs. For these reasons, Boston Celtics Head Coach Joseph Mazzulla was named the NBA
17 2025-2026 Coach of the Year, the first Celtics Head Coach in 46 years to win this prestigious
18 award; and
19WHEREAS, Born and raised in Johnston, Rhode Island, and a graduate of Bishop
1 Hendricken High School, Coach Mazzulla has been a leader his entire life. From leading West
2 Virginia to the NCAA Final Four, and the Celtics to an NBA Championship, Coach Mazzulla has
3 developed into a great leader whom other people can count on. Coach Joe Mazzulla is also a
4 family man and a man of great faith, who has made all Rhode Islanders proud to call him a native
5 son; now, therefore be it
6RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
7 heartily and joyously congratulates Boston Celtics Head Coach Joseph Mazzulla on being named
8 the 2025-2026 NBA Coach of the Year; and be it further
9RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
10 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Boston Celtics Head Coach Joseph Mazzulla.
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