Derrick White gave fans one of the wildest behind-the-scenes stories yet about Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s unorthodox methods.
During a recent episode of his show White Noise Podcast with Derrick White, White revealed that Mazzulla once began practice by blasting machine-gun sound effects for nearly ten minutes straight while the team ran drills.
“So it was me and Payton [Pritchard] and we’re going, and Joe’s like, ‘Play the music!’” White recalled. “Next thing you know, it’s just machine guns going off. I’m like, ‘What is going on?’ So the entire time we did this drill, the machine guns were just nonstop. That’s how we started practice. He’s like, ‘Play the music,’ and next thing you know, you’re in a war zone.”
You can see the segment for yourself at the 33:28 mark below.
White expanded on that moment ahead of the Celtics matchup against the Magic on Friday, where he said, “I mean, especially to start to practice like that, you know what kind of practice it’s going to be. It just kind of changes your mindset right there. But I think I know him pretty well now, so it kind of all just blends together.He kind of gets you going in different ways, and you kind of have to try to figure out where his point is going half the time. But that’s the fun part.”
The story adds to Mazzulla’s growing reputation for creative and sometimes bizarre motivational tactics. The 35-year-old coach has reportedly made players watch killer whale and hyena hunting footage to teach teamwork and mental toughness, according to The Wall Street Journal. He’s also been known to deliver long film sessions focused more on mindset and emotional composure than on actual plays, something he’s described as the key to maintaining focus under chaos.
While the machine-gun drill might sound extreme, it fits into Mazzulla’s philosophy of simulating pressure to sharpen response and resilience. The Celtics have thrived under his leadership, winning the 2024 NBA Finals, and players often credit his offbeat methods for building unity and composure during tense moments.
