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Pistons’ JB Bickerstaff earns long-term contract extension after 3-1 playoff comeback vs. Magic
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- Pistons’ JB Bickerstaff earns long-term contract extension after 3-1 playoff comeback vs. Magic
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The Detroit Pistons and head coach JB Bickerstaff have agreed to a long-term contract extension, the team announced on Monday.
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This announcement by the organization comes one day after Bickerstaff led the Pistons to a win in Game 7 against the Orlando Magic after trailing 3-1 in their first-round playoff series.
After pulling off three straight wins over the Magic to keep their season alive, Bickerstaff and the Pistons have advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2008. That year, the team lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Through his first two seasons with the Pistons, Bickerstaff has posted a 104-60 (63.4%) record with two straight playoff appearances. He has a career record of 359-350 (50.6%) in 10 NBA seasons as a head coach, including five playoff appearances.
While the terms of the contract were not made public by the team, Bickerstaff originally signed a five-year deal with the Pistons in 2024 when he was initially hired. Only the first four years of this deal were originally guaranteed, but this new contract extension will keep him under contract with Detroit through at least the 2029-30 season.
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The NBA has yet to announce the recipient of the 2025-26 Coach of the Year award, but Bickerstaff has been named a finalist for the end-of-season honor after leading the Pistons to 60 wins during the regular season. This was the best season in team history since the 2005-06 season, when the Pistons finished with a franchise record 64 wins.
Although it is unknown whether he will take home the official Coach of the Year award, Bickerstaff was recently named the 2025-26 NBCA Coach of the Year by the NBA Coaches Association. The last four recipients of the NBCA Coach of the Year award went on to be named the NBA's Coach of the Year in the same season.
Bickerstaff has been instrumental in the Pistons' development, specifically helping Cade Cunningham go from a young star on the rise to being a true MVP candidate. This season, Cunningham averaged 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 9.9 assists per game while shooting 46.1 percent from the floor and 34.2 percent from 3-point range.
He finished the year ranking top 20 in scoring and second in assists behind only Nikola Jokic , which is why Cunningham will very likely finish top five in the 2025-26 MVP voting and earn All-NBA First Team honors for the first time in his career.
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After coming back to win Game 7 against the Magic despite being down 3-1 in their first-round series, Bickerstaff and the Pistons have locked in their commitment to one another for many years to come.
Related: Pistons' J.B. Bickerstaff gets brutally honest about Magic's Jamahl Mosley firing
Related: Watch Pistons fans troll Wendell Carter Jr. with 'Angel Reese' Game 7 chants
