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Pistons give coach J.B. Bickerstaff contract extension

By Thomson Reuters May 4, 2026 | 4:26 PM

The Detroit Pistons announced Monday that they extended the contract of head coach J.B. 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