For years, Joe Mazzulla has challenged himself through martial arts training. His dad took him to karate lessons when he was a kid.
He started taking jiu-jitzu classes when he was coaching at Division II Fairmount State and opened up to The Boston Globe about the experience in 2023.
Last year, after Brandon Jennings called Jayson Tatum the softest superstar in the NBA, Mazzulla responded by saying that he wished everyone walked around with five coins that allowed any one to challenge each other to hand-to-hand combat at any time.