Joe Mazzulla basked in the revelry of the Celtics’ 18th championship during the team’s raucous parade through the streets of Boston on June 21.
Despite walking on a torn meniscus in his knee, the Celtics head coach jumped from his duck boat and high-fived fans along the parade route.
Over the summer, the 36-year-old Mazzulla paraded the Larry O’Brien trophy across New England, bringing Boston’s new piece of hardware from the North End to the steps of the Rhode Island State House in Providence.
After he achieved basketball immortality in just his second year as a head coach, one would assume that the entire summer stood as a validating victory lap for Mazzulla.