J. B. Bickerstaff

J. B. Bickerstaff

Bickerstaff in 2021
Detroit Pistons
Position	Head coach
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1979-03-10) March 10, 1979 (age 46) Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	East (Denver, Colorado)
College	Oregon State (1997–1999) Minnesota (1999–2001)
NBA draft	2001: undrafted
Position	Forward
Coaching career	2004–present
Career history
As a coach:
2004–2007	Charlotte Bobcats (assistant)
2007–2011	Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant)
2011–2015	Houston Rockets (assistant)
2015–2016	Houston Rockets (interim)
2016–2017	Memphis Grizzlies (associate)
2017–2019	Memphis Grizzlies
2019–2020	Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant/assoc. HC)
2020–2024	Cleveland Cavaliers
2024–present	Detroit Pistons

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.

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

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After the season, Bickerstaff informed the Rockets that he had withdrawn his name for the head coaching search, effectively ending his tenure with the Houston Rockets.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]

On May 19, 2019, the Cleveland Cavaliers named Bickerstaff assistant and associate head coach. ^[9]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–2024)

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.

Head coaching record

Legend

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 %

Team	Year	G	W	L	W–L%	Finish	PG	PW	PL	PW–L%	Result
Houston	2015–16	71	37	34	.521	4th in Southwest	5	1	4	.200	Lost in first round
Memphis	2017–18	63	15	48	.238	5th in Southwest	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Memphis	2018–19	82	33	49	.402	3rd in Southwest	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Cleveland	2019–20	11	5	6	.455	5th in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Cleveland	2020–21	72	22	50	.306	4th in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Cleveland	2021–22	82	44	38	.537	3rd in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Cleveland	2022–23	82	51	31	.622	2nd in Central	5	1	4	.200	Lost in first round
Cleveland	2023–24	82	48	34	.585	2nd in Central	12	5	7	.417	Lost in conference semifinals
Detroit	2024–25	82	44	38	.537	4th in Central	-	-	-	–	TBD
Career		627	299	328	.477		22	7	15	.318

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. ^{[16] [17]}

References

1. "Rockets add Sampson, Bickerstaff, Finch and Gunning to coaching staff". NBA.com. July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
2. "Rockets Relieve Kevin McHale of Head Coaching Duties". NBA.com. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
3. Blinebury, Fran (November 19, 2015). "ROCKETS TURN BACK PAGE FOR BICKERSTAFF". NBA.com. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
4. Feigen, Jonathan (May 4, 2016). "J.B. Bickerstaff pulls himself from consideration for Rockets' head coaching job". chron.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
5. "Grizzlies announce additions to Coaching Staff". NBA.com. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
6. "Grizzlies relieve David Fizdale of head coaching duties". NBA.com. November 27, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
7. "Memphis Grizzlies introduce J.B. Bickerstaff Head Coach". NBA.com. May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
8. "Memphis Grizzlies announce restructuring of basketball operations department". NBA.com . April 11, 2019. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
9. "Cavaliers Agree to Terms with J.B. Bickerstaff to Become Associate Head Coach". NBA.com . May 19, 2019. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
10. "John Beilein Resigns as Cavaliers Head Coach". NBA.com. February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
11. "Cleveland Cavaliers and J.B. Bickerstaff Agree On Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
12. "Cavaliers Sign J.B. Bickerstaff to Multi-Year Extension". NBA.com. December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
13. "Cavs fire Bickerstaff despite run to East semis". ESPN.com. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
14. "DETROIT PISTONS ANNOUNCE J.B. BICKERSTAFF AS HEAD COACH". NBA.com. July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
15. J.B. Bickerstaff Archived March 29, 2016, at the Wayback Machine . nba.com
16. "Cavs Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 10, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
17. Koby Altman Got his Dream Job... ESPN

External links

• J. B. Bickerstaff – college basketball player statistics at Sports Reference