At 35 years old, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla became the youngest NBA head coach to win a championship since Bill Russell achieved the same feat for the Celtics in 1969. The second-year head coach led the Celtics to a 64-18 regular season and a 4-1 series win over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

Though the NBA has many problems, Mazzulla is not one of them. He is a positive influence in a league filled with controversial personalities. Mazzulla stands out not only for his team’s success on the court but also because of his devout Catholic faith. When the Celtics won the championship on Monday night, Mazzulla put on a shirt that said, “But first … let me thank God” that he wore during the postgame festivities.