John-Blair Bickerstaff (born March 10, 1979) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach who is the head coach of the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Before that, he was the head coach for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

and the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, and has also been an assistant coach for several other NBA teams.

College career

Bickerstaff played his first two collegiate seasons at

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees through all 11 of the universit ...

and finished his career at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. He averaged 10.9 points and 6.1

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

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 Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...

as an assistant coach, before spending four (2007–2011) seasons as an assistant coach for the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

Houston Rockets (2011-2016)

Bickerstaff was hired as an assistant coach by the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

on July 14, 2011. He was made interim head coach of the Rockets on November 18, 2015, after Kevin McHale was fired. On that same day, he made his coaching debut against the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

with a 108–103 overtime victory. 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.

Memphis Grizzlies (2016-2019)

On June 8, 2016, Bickerstaff was hired by the

to be the associate head coach. On November 27, 2017, Bickerstaff was promoted as the Grizzlies' interim head coach after the firing of

David Fizdale David Sean Fizdale (born June 16, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was an associate general manager for the Utah Jazz, an ...

. On May 1, 2018, he was announced as the new permanent head coach of the Grizzlies. On April 11, 2019, the Grizzlies fired Bickerstaff after the team failed to reach the playoffs.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–2024)

On May 19, 2019, the

named Bickerstaff assistant and associate head coach. On February 19, 2020, head coach

John Beilein John Patrick Beilein ( ; born February 5, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach who currently serves as a college basketball analyst for the Big Ten Network. Before being hired by the Big Ten Network, Beilein served as the head coac ...

resigned as head coach of the Cavaliers, and Bickerstaff was announced as the new head coach. On March 10, the Cavaliers announced that they had agreed on a multi-year contract with Bickerstaff. On December 25, 2021, the Cavaliers signed Bickerstaff to a multi-year contract extension. Bickerstaff was fired on May 23, 2024, by the Cavaliers.

Detroit Pistons (2024–present)

On July 3, 2024, Bickerstaff became the new head coach of the

. 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

after an on-court brawl broke out. Players

Ron Holland Ronald John Holland (born 1947 in Auckland, New Zealand)Ron Holland:De ...

Marcus Sasser Marcus Jerome Sasser Jr. (born September 21, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Houston Cougars. High school career Sasse ...

and Donte DiVincenzo were also ejected. He finished in 2nd place in Coach of the Year voting in 2025.

Head coaching record

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Personal life

Bickerstaff is the son of former NBA coach

Bernie Bickerstaff Bernard Tyrone Bickerstaff (born February 11, 1944) is an American basketball coach and front office executive, currently serving as the Senior Basketball Advisor for the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a coach, he previously worked as the head coach for ...

, who is working for the Cavaliers in their front office serving as senior basketball advisor. He has a wife and 3 kids. He has been a Philadelphia Eagles fan since childhood. Kevin Stefanski, J.B. Bickerstaff Bond Beyond Basketball and Football
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References

External links

– college basketball player statistics at

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bickerstaff, J. B. 1979 births Living people African-American basketball coaches American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Colorado Basketball players from Denver Charlotte Bobcats assistant coaches Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches Detroit Pistons head coaches East High School (Denver, Colorado) alumni Forwards (basketball) Houston Rockets assistant coaches Houston Rockets head coaches Memphis Grizzlies assistant coaches Memphis Grizzlies head coaches Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball players Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coaches Oregon State Beavers men's basketball players