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J. B. Bickerstaff
American basketball coach (born 1979) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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John-Blair Bickerstaff (born March 10, 1979) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before that, he was the head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and has also been an assistant coach for several other NBA teams.
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College career
Bickerstaff played his first two collegiate seasons at Oregon State and finished his career at the University of Minnesota. He averaged 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds as a senior for the Golden Gophers.
Coaching career
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Assistant, associate and interim head coach (2004–2011)
Bickerstaff spent three seasons (2004–2007) with the Charlotte Bobcats as an assistant coach, before spending four (2007–2011) seasons as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Houston Rockets (2011-2016)
Bickerstaff was hired as an assistant coach by the Houston Rockets on July 14, 2011.[1] He was made interim head coach of the Rockets on November 18, 2015, after Kevin McHale was fired.[2] On that same day, he made his coaching debut against the Portland Trail Blazers with a 108–103 overtime victory.[3]
After the season, Bickerstaff informed the Rockets that he had withdrawn his name for the head coaching search, effectively ending his tenure with the Houston Rockets.[4]
Memphis Grizzlies (2016-2019)
On June 8, 2016, Bickerstaff was hired by the Memphis Grizzlies to be the associate head coach.[5]
On November 27, 2017, Bickerstaff was promoted as the Grizzlies' interim head coach after the firing of David Fizdale.[6] On May 1, 2018, he was announced as the new permanent head coach of the Grizzlies.[7] On April 11, 2019, the Grizzlies fired Bickerstaff after the team failed to reach the playoffs.[8]
Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–2024)
On May 19, 2019, the Cleveland Cavaliers named Bickerstaff assistant and associate head coach.[9]
On February 19, 2020, head coach John Beilein resigned as head coach of the Cavaliers, and Bickerstaff was announced as the new head coach.[10] On March 10, the Cavaliers announced that they had agreed on a multi-year contract with Bickerstaff.[11] On December 25, 2021, the Cavaliers signed Bickerstaff to a multi-year contract extension.[12] Bickerstaff was fired on May 23, 2024, by the Cavaliers.[13]
Detroit Pistons (2024–present)
On July 3, 2024, Bickerstaff became the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons.[14] On December 23, Bickerstaff would lead the Pistons to their 15th win of the season. This would be one more win than the Pistons had for the entirety of the 2023-24 season. On March 28, 2025, Bickerstaff would help lead the Pistons to their first playoff appearance since the 2018–19 season. On March 31, 2025, Bickerstaff was ejected from the Pistons game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after an on-court brawl broke out. Players Ron Holland, Marcus Sasser and Donte DiVincenzo were also ejected. He finished in 2nd place in Coach of the Year voting in 2025.
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Head coaching record
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Personal life
Bickerstaff is the son of former NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff,[15] who is working for the Cavaliers in their front office serving as senior basketball advisor. He has a wife and 3 kids.[16][17] He has been a Philadelphia Eagles fan since childhood. [18]
References
External links
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