One of the biggest questions still lingering over the league-leading Celtics was if or when they would remove the "interim" tag from Joe Mazzulla's title.
Apparently they were just waiting for the All-Star break. The Celtics announced Thursday morning that Mazzulla has officially been named the 19th head coach in franchise history, putting an end to his interim status in the process. The team also announced a contract extension for Mazzulla, but did not disclose terms of the extension.
Mazzulla was named Boston's interim head coach just days before the start of the regular season when the Celtics suspended former head coach Ime Udoka for the season.
Mazzulla has led the C's to the NBA's best record at the All-Star break, as they are 42-17 after Wednesday night's 127-109 win over the Detroit Pistons.
"As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader," Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. "He has a unique ability to galvanize a room around a mission. We are thankful for the work he has done to help us get to this point, and excited that he has agreed to lead us into the future."
Mazzulla will represent the Celtics at this weekend's All-Star Game in his first year as a head coach. The Johnston, R.I. native previously spent three seasons as an assistant coach for Boston.
With this announcement, Udoka's time as Celtics head coach is now officially over.
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