DETROIT – Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been named an assistant coach for USA Basketball, joining a staff led by Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported Tuesday (July 14) on X that Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Gonzaga head coach Mark Few are also expected to join Spoelstra’s staff.
Recommended Videos
USA Basketball is expected to name Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault, Detroit's JB Bickerstaff and Gonzaga's Mark Few as assistant coaches for national team coach Erik Spoelstra's staff, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/fLD5EQNlxe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 14, 2026
Bickerstaff becomes the first Pistons head coach since Larry Brown in 2004 to serve as a coach for USA Basketball.
He also joins a distinguished group that includes Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly, who guided the United States’ “Dream Team” to the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
The appointment comes after a breakout season for Bickerstaff in Detroit.
In his second season with the Pistons, Bickerstaff led the franchise to a 60-22 record, the team’s first 60-win season since the 2005-06 campaign, when Detroit finished 64-18.
The Pistons also secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Bickerstaff was recognized for the turnaround from year one, when Detroit went 44-38, by earning the Michael H. Goldberg National Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year award in 2026.
The 46-year-old head coach owns a 359-350 regular-season record as an NBA head coach with the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Pistons.
He reached his 300th career victory on Oct. 25, 2025, becoming part of the first father-son coaching duo in NBA history to each record 300 NBA head coaching wins, joining his father, Bernie Bickerstaff.
Before arriving in Detroit, Bickerstaff spent five seasons as head coach of the Cavaliers after serving as head coach of the Grizzlies and interim coach of the Rockets.
He also has been named NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month three times during his career.