Celtics name Joe Mazzulla permanent head coach

The Boston Celtics removed the interim tag and named Joe Mazzulla the team's permanent head coach Thursday, rewarding him with a contract extension in the process.

Terms of the new deal were not announced.

Mazzulla, 34, took over for the suspended Ime Udoka prior to the season and has the Celtics at the top of the NBA, sporting the best record (42-17) heading into the All-Star break.

"As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader," president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in the release. "He has a unique ability to galvanize a room around a mission. We are thankful for the work he has done to help get us to this point, and excited that he has agreed to lead us into the future."

Mazzulla will serve as head coach of Team Giannis at the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City on Sunday.

A Celtics assistant coach the past three seasons, Mazzulla's only prior head coaching experience was at Division II Fairmont State.

Udoka led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first season in 2021-22, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

However, he was suspended for the season after an outside investigation turned up "substantial" evidence that Udoka had violated team rules. Namely, Udoke reportedly had a consensual relationship with an unidentified female staff member.