Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics was asked a couple months ago about the possibility of winning the Coach of the Year award this season, and his answer was succinct.

“I don’t need it,” he said back in March. “I think it’s a stupid award.”

On Tuesday, Mazzulla won a stupid award.

Mazzulla was announced as the NBA’s top coach for 2025-26, after the Celtics earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference — despite playing most of the year without Jayson Tatum while he recovered from Achilles surgery and amid rebuilding expectations from many following the departures of players like Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

To be very clear, Mazzulla’s dismissal of the award in March was for one reason — he thinks it should be more of a “coaching staff of the year” than a “coach of the year” award, and that is a noble approach. He repeated that during Tuesday night’s announcement of his win, beginning his remarks on NBC by thanking those who made it possible.

“The long nights, the trips, game plans, the video guys that are clipping up the film and coding it, the assistants who are putting in the game plan, I think there’s so much that goes into winning one game,” Mazzulla said. “It starts with the players, but it goes to our staff. I feel bad that they’re not here — but forever indebted to the guys that we have that give up time with their families and their time to give us a chance to win every day.”

The 37-year-old Mazzulla is the youngest winner of the award since Phil Johnson in 1975, the NBA said.

Fittingly, the Celtics coach will get the Red Auerbach Trophy — which is named for the legendary Celtics coach. Mazzulla becomes the fourth Boston coach to win the award, following Auerbach in 1965, Tom Heisohn in 1973 and Bill Fitch in 1980. Auerbach, a Hall of Famer, guided the Celtics to nine NBA championships, including eight in a row from 1959 through 1966.

“This is well deserved recognition and a testament to both Joe and his staff,” Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens said. “With all of our unknowns entering the season, Joe did a fantastic job building and growing a team. He pours everything he has into competing at a high level, while helping players find the best versions of themselves within the framework of a team.”

Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff — for the second consecutive year — finished second, and San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson placed third.

The award is based on regular-season results only. Votes from the panel of 100 reporters and broadcasters who cover the NBA were turned in during the play-in tournament, which was more than a month ago.

The Coach of the Year award — the one handed out Tuesday is separate from the one presented earlier this spring by the National Basketball Coaches Association, which Bickerstaff won — is the last of the major awards given out by the NBA to commemorate the best of the 2025-26 season.

The rundown of awards:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City: Most Valuable Player and Clutch Player of the Year.
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio: Defensive Player of the Year.
• Cooper Flagg, Dallas: Rookie of the Year.
• Keldon Johnson, San Antonio: Sixth Man of the Year.
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta: Most Improved Player.
• Bam Adebayo, Miami: Social Justice Champion.
• Derrick White, Boston: Sportsmanship Award.
• DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans: Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year.
• Brad Stevens, Boston: Executive of the Year.
• Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte: Hustle Award.
• The All-NBA, All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams.

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A Boston man was arrested in relation to a Dorchester shooting that left one injured earlier this month, police announced Friday.

Chivaugn Nettles, 21, faces multiple felony charges, including assault and battery by discharge of a firearm, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and carrying a loaded firearm without a license, according to a statement from the Boston Police Department. 

Nettles was taken into custody at his home “without incident” following an investigation that involved the review of surveillance footage and the execution of search warrants on both a Huntington Avenue home and a suspect vehicle, police said. 

The shooting occurred around 1:20 a.m. on May 13 near 25 Dacia St. During an investigation, officers located shell casings, projectile fragments, and “two small blood trails” along a building, according to a police report. 

Residents at both 25 and 33 Dacia St. were found to be not hurt, though one person sustained “nonlife-threatening injuries,” police said. 

During his arraignment Friday in the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court, Nettles entered a plea of not guilty to all charges, according to court records. He is being held without bail until a dangerousness hearing set for Wednesday morning.

The second-in-command officer of Boston Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has died, the agency announced.

John Gill, 61, of West Roxbury, died Saturday after 40 years of service for Boston EMS, according to his obituary. He was also a longtime member of Knights of Columbus.

“John faithfully served this department for nearly four decades, dedicating his entire career to the mission of providing the highest standard of prehospital care to the people of Boston,” Boston EMS said on Facebook. “His work earned numerous commendations, including two Unit Citations, reflecting a career defined by loyalty to the department and dedication to the City of Boston — the city where he was born and raised.”

Gill began at Boston EMS on June 25, 1986 and was eventually promoted to Paramedic in 1991, to Deputy Superintendent in 2003, and to Superintendent-in-Chief in 2020, the agency said. He was known for his “reliability, depth of knowledge, and dedication” but also his “quick wit and dry sense of humor.”

Beyond his daily duties, Gill helped found the Boston EMS Honor Guard and establish the Boston EMS Relief Association. He also served as Chief Steward of the Boston EMS union, representing his fellow members.

“John’s decades of service, leadership, and institutional knowledge leave an enduring mark on Boston EMS,” the agency said. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones, friends, and colleagues as they remember his life and his longstanding dedication to the department.”

Gill’s wake will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home in West Roxbury, Boston EMS said on Facebook. His funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Holy Name Parish, also in West Roxbury.