Pistons give coach JB Bickerstaff contract extension

Field Level Media|published: Mon 4th May, 17:28 2026

Mar 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff during the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The Detroit Pistons announced Monday that they extended the contract of head coach JB Bickerstaff. Terms of the extension were not disclosed.

The Pistons went 60-22 and secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs this season, their second under Bickerstaff, and became the 15th team to erase a 3-1 deficit Sunday when they beat the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of the first round. It clinched Detroit's first playoff series win since 2008.

Bickerstaff was awarded the 2026 Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award in April by the National Basketball Coaches Association. He is a finalist for NBA Coach of the Year and took second in Coach of the Year balloting for 2024-25 when he guided Detroit to a 44-38 record and the playoffs. It marked a 30-win improvement after the Pistons went 14-68 in 2023-24 under previous coach Monty Williams.

Bickerstaff is 104-60 (.634) in two seasons in Detroit and 359-350 (.506) overall. Prior to coming to the Pistons, Bickerstaff was the head coach of the Houston Rockets (2015-16), Memphis Grizzlies (2017-19) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2019-24).

The Pistons host fourth-seeded Cleveland on Tuesday for Game 1 of the conference semifinals.

--Field Level Media

Latest