BOSTON, MA – The Boston Celtics have added Brandon Bailey, Kara Lawson, and Joe Mazzulla to their coaching staff under Head Coach Brad Stevens, the team announced today. In joining the Celtics’ staff, Lawson becomes the first female assistant coach in the franchise’s 73-year history.
Brandon Bailey
Bailey returns to Boston, where he’s been elevated to an assistant coach after spending the previous two years as head coach of the Maine Red Claws in the NBA G League. He was named the fifth head coach in Red Claws history on Oct. 6, 2017, replacing current Celtics assistant coach Scott Morrison.
Prior to his two-year stint in Maine, Bailey served as the Celtics’ video coordinator for six seasons from 2011-12 to 2016-17.
Kara Lawson
Lawson joins Coach Stevens’s staff with a decorated basketball career, both on and off the court. She comes to the Celtics from the broadcast table, where she spent the last two years as the primary television analyst for the Washington Wizards in addition to her duties covering games for ESPN Radio. In addition to her role covering the Wizards for NBC Sports Washington, Lawson served as a longtime ESPN game and studio analyst for men’s and women’s college basketball and the NBA.
Lawson’s on-court accomplishments are just as notable. In 13 WNBA seasons, she averaged 9.8 points (41.4% FG, 39.0% 3-PT), 2.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over 377 career games with the Sacramento Monarchs, Connecticut Sun, and Washington Mystics from 2003 to 2015. In addition to her WNBA career, which included a championship with the Monarchs in 2005 and an All-Star appearance in 2007, Lawson was a member of the Team USA roster that captured the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
Lawson played for the legendary Pat Summit at the University of Tennessee, where she was a four-time All-SEC selection and advanced to three Final Four appearances during her collegiate career.
On Jan. 12, 2017, she became the first-ever female analyst for a nationally televised NBA game. Lawson has also been coaching USA Basketball’s 3-on-3 teams in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While serving as coach for the U19 boys and girls 3-on-3 teams, she has guided them to four World Championships including three straight for the U19 girls (2017, 2018, 2019) and the first ever for the U19 boys in 2019.
Joe Mazzulla
A Rhode Island native, Mazzulla joins Boston’s coaching staff after guiding Fairmont State University to a 43-17 record over two seasons as the program’s head coach from 2017 to 2019. His Falcons went 22-9 in 2018-19 to claim the program’s fifth NCAA Tournament bid over the last seven years.
In joining the Celtics organization, Mazzulla returns to the Northeast where he served as an assistant coach for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League during the 2016-17 season. In addition to his two years as a head coach in the collegiate ranks, Mazzulla brings five years of assistant coaching experience between Fairmont State (2013-2016) and Glenville State College (2011-2013).
Mazzulla attended West Virginia University, where he played collegiately for all four seasons under head coaches John Beilein and Bob Huggins. He advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years and was named to the Big East Academic All-Star Team three times (2007, 2009-10) with the Mountaineers.