Celtics owner blocked Jazz from poaching Joe Mazzulla

Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said he would "personally strangle" his former general manager and current Jazz executive Danny Ainge for poaching assistant Joe Mazzulla to join Will Hardy's staff in Utah.

Grousbeck made the comments Tuesday on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show."

Hiring Hardy from then-head coach Ime Udoka's staff to become head coach in Utah was one thing. But Grousbeck wasn't "having it" with Mazzulla.

"I prevented Danny from stealing (Mazzulla) this summer, because I told Danny I'd fly to Utah and personally strangle him if he did. You can quote that," Grousbeck said on the show.

"You can take one person, an assistant, and make them a head coach, which they did with Will Hardy. Then they also wanted Mazzulla, and I was like, ‘That's it, you're crossing the line, and we're not having it.' And that was just when Joe was senior assistant with us, and now all of a sudden he's interim head coach," Grousbeck said.

Mazzulla is now 1-0 leading the Celtics after the year-long suspension handed to Udoka, with the team winning its opener at home against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.

The Jazz hired Hardy in June, and Mazzulla was reportedly in the running for the head post, too.

Ainge guided the Celtics for 18 years before announcing his retirement in June 2021. He joined the Jazz as alternate governor and CEO in December 2021.

Grousbeck bought the Celtics in 2002.