Jrue Holiday reveals REAL reason Celtics coach is ‘ready to fight’ after wild proposal
Celtics guard Jrue Holiday joined the 'Run It Back' podcast to reveal the reason behind HC Joe Mazzulla's comments on 'fighting' in the NBA.
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Jrue Holiday supports coach Joe Mazzulla for fighting comments
Boston Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla has one of the most unorthodox coaching methods the NBA has seen in a long time. The only thing more unorthodox, perhaps, are Mazzulla’s off-court comments. The third-year HC of the Celtics has been known to dive into philosophical tangents while discussing off-court issues.
But his recent comments about bringing back ‘fighting in the NBA’ took the cake, and Celtics guard Jrue Holiday seems to be in agreement with his coach. Holiday and the Celtics team have outspokenly supported their HC since he took over the team in 2022.
However, Joe Mazzulla’s recent comments about increasing the physicality in the NBA and bringing back fighting was a divisive topic in the community. As Jrue Holiday joined Lou Williams on the Run It Back podcast, the six-time All-NBA defensive team member backed up his coach.
Look, I’m with it. I’m with it. Get your paws ready, all right? If we gotta get in the boxing gym if we gotta get in the ring. You know Joe does jiu-jitsu so I really think he’s ready. But to his point, back in the ’90s and the early 2000s, like when people was scrapping and throwing hands, it was pretty entertaining… I’m too old for that, but other people can have that.
Jrue Holiday said on the podcast
Joe Mazzulla’s comments about fighting in the NBA make so much sense now…
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 8, 2024
Hopefully he can fight on Jrue Holiday’s behalf ? pic.twitter.com/jurNbVqZ7A
Jrue Holiday was supportive of his coach but also revealed the real reason Mazzulla was excited to bring back fighting. Holiday cited that Joe Mazzulla is a trained Jiu-Jitsu fighter. Given his background in fighting, it seems fitting that Mazzulla would be down to bring back more physicality within the league. After all, how many players are standing up to a 6’2″ Jiu-Jitsu specialist?
However, not everyone has been as supportive of Joe Mazzulla’s comments. Many stars, including Warriors superstar Draymond Green, have come out against the idea proposed by Mazzulla. Fighting in an NBA game can incur a fine of up to $50,000 at the Commissioner’s discretion, along with a potential suspension. Green, of all people, would know about this rule better than most.
Joe Mazzulla once tore his Meniscus from Jiu-Jitsu
Even before Jrue Holiday had revealed that Joe Mazzulla is a trained Jiu-Jitsu fighter, the HC had declared it himself earlier this year. As the Boston Celtics lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy in June, HC Joe Mazzulla announced that he would be undergoing knee surgery during the offseason. One might ask why. Mazzulla had explained on the Pardon My Take show.
Joe Mazzulla revealed that following a regular season loss in the 2023-24 season, he had hit the gym to blow off some steam. However, as Mazzulla engaged in an intense Jiu-Jitsu session, he banged up his knee badly.
He was eventually diagnosed with a torn Meniscus in his knee but decided to delay the surgery until the end of the Celtics season. Thankfully for Mazzulla, his perseverance paid off, as the Celtics did end up winning the title.
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Armaan Gupta
(324 Articles Published)