10 Christian NBA Players To Watch This Season

Bonus: Christian Coaches in the NBA

Joe Mazzulla

At just 35, Joe Mazzulla is the youngest head coach in the NBA. In February, the Boston Celtics removed the “interim” tag he’d held during the 2022-2023 season. The devout Catholic and father of two is known as a strong leader—something he said he tries to model after Jesus.

“The part of [Jesus] that I kind of resonate the most with is his leadership style and who he was just as a person,” Mazzulla said on a recent episode of the Sports Spectrum podcast. “Regardless of anything else, there’s a reason why 2,023 years later that there’s still people talking about [Jesus]. He did something right. Just learning from those leadership values is fun.”

As a Christian in a high-profile position, Mazzulla said he attempts to be a faithful steward. “God has given us all unique gifts, abilities, opportunities, and how do we use those for the better of people around us?” he said. “How do we use what God has given us to move your organization forward, move the world forward, just try to leave it a little better than you found it?”