Pep Guardiola is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished football managers in European history. With seven Premier League titles with Manchester City, three La Liga titles with Barcelona, three Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, and three Champions League titles across his managerial career, Guardiola’s legacy speaks volumes. But his influence isn’t confined to football alone—his approach to leadership and success has resonated deeply within other sports, including basketball.
Pep Guardiola meets Joe Mazzulla
During Game 1 of the NBA Finals last year, an unlikely but significant meeting took place between Guardiola and Joe Mazzulla, the then-head coach of the Boston Celtics. With Mazzulla, who had been at the helm of the Celtics for just two seasons, on the brink of his first NBA championship, the two coaches shared a conversation that would leave a lasting impact on the young Celtics coach.
Reflecting on this moment in an interview on the Men in Blazers podcast, Mazzulla shared the valuable lessons he gleaned from Guardiola’s experiences.
The biggest thing I wanted to take from him was: What's it like before you win? What are the challenges that come with winning the first one? And what are you like now that you've won? Mazzulla explained. He has seen all those steps, and it just gives you great perspective as to: Okay, if you're gonna do this for a long time, here's what to expect, here's how to adapt, and here's how to look at it.
Mazzulla’s inspiration from Guardiola
Mazzulla, though aware of the vast difference in their experience, found common ground with Guardiola’s journey.
Obviously, nowhere near the manager that Pep is but we share a similar beginning, Mazzulla said. He was coaching Barcelona's B team, I was in Maine's G-League team, and they could have easily gone for a bigger name, but they go to this guy sitting on the back bench with no experience.
This shared origin story inspired Mazzulla’s philosophy toward building a successful team and fostering a culture of excellence. He viewed Guardiola's tactical prowess and ability to manage top-tier players as an ideal model to learn from.
It became really a roadmap to how I wanted to go about building a culture, a team, and you know, taking over greatness.
As the Celtics entered the final stretch of the 2023-2024 NBA season, Mazzulla’s leadership continued to shine, with the team regaining their form just before the All-Star break. The Celtics are now considered one of the favorites to win the NBA title. If the pressure of leading a potential championship contender grows, don't be surprised if Mazzulla turns to Guardiola once again for guidance.