I’m no sports bro. In fact, I am likely the antithesis of sports bro. I don’t own a sports jersey. I couldn’t tell you the name of the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, the team I consider “my team” when I do make time to be a sports spectator – something I rarely do because I have so many other things I need to be doing with my time.
If you are a sports bro, good on ya. You do you. I’m just taking another shot at me for being barely a man because I am not that into sports. That said, I think I’m going to start watching the Boston Celtics, and it has nothing to do with any of the players or the fact that they just won the NBA Championship (I had to Google that – again not a sports bro).
It has everything to do with Joe Mazzulla. Mazzulla, a baby at age 35, is more a man than most men I know. He’s the head coach of the NBA Champion Boston Celtics. He currently holds the highest winning percentage of any coach in NBA history with over 150 games coached and is also the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since Bill Russell did so in 1969. (Whoops, I damn near sounded like a sports bro. Nope. Thank you, Google.)
I know nothing of Mazzulla’s coaching prowess. But he has shown me his character in a year-old clip sent to me by a friend.
“I thought I was helping them by talking to them, and they were helping me.”
“You always hear people give glory to God and say thank you when they’re holding a trophy. But you never really hear it at times like this. And so for me, it’s an opportunity to just sit where I am at and be faithful.”
There’s a lesson in life from a championship coach. You’re broke? Broken? Washed up, strung out, done wrong? Sit. Be faithful. Because God has a plan for you.
This clip made me go down a rabbit trail with Coach Mazzulla – I had to hear more from this guy. There’s this clip. If you’re a sports bro, watch the whole clip. If you’re like me, forward it to the 4:09 mark…
All hail the King of heaven and earth. Here’s 8:18 seconds of solid, sports bro talk after his team won the NBA Championship. Watch some. Watch all. I don’t care. I just want you to see what his t-shirt says…
But first… Let me thank God.
The death of Tyre Nichols is tragic. The story is summarized HERE, if you are unfamiliar. Bottom line: On January 7, 2023, Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was fatally injured by five black police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, and died three days later. The incident has sparked discussions around police brutality and racial injustice. Candidly, it’s the kind of story that politicians use to divide and score points with constituents and donors alike. But get a peak at the heart of Coach Mazzulla…
Finally, the mic drop clip that sealed my respect and admiration for Coach Mazzulla. I hate racism – we all should – to discriminate against someone based on the color of their skin is wrong. I also hate racialists. Oxford will give a different definition of racialist than the one I apply. So here’s mine: An individual or group of individuals who make everything about race. I believe our society should be colorblind. The content of our character, not the color of our skin. But easy for me to say, I’m white. That’s what my definition of a racialist would say.
Anywho, Coach Mazzulla sealed the deal on my respect with this clip…
Mic drop. Mad props. I’m now a Celtics fan. More specifically, I’m a Mazzulla fan. He uses the platform he has been given to glorify God. So should we.
You recruited me, and I am no sports bro.