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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach who is the head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the

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

(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 league's Western Conference ...

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. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

and finished his career at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

. 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

Bickerstaff spent three seasons (2004–2007) with the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

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

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. He was hired as an assistant coach by the Rockets on July 15, 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 league's Western Con ...

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. 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 manager. He is currently the assistant general manager for the Utah Jazz. He previously was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, the head coach for the New ...

. 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. On May 19, 2019, the Cleveland Cavaliers 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 the Senior Player Development Advisor for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before being hired b ...

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.

Head coaching record

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Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

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Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

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Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

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Personal life

Bickerstaff is the son of former NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff, who is also working for the Cavaliers in their front office serving as senior basketball advisor.Koby Altman Got his Dream Job... ESPN
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References

External links

{{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 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 Sportspeople from Denver