J.B. Bickerstaff To Coach In All-Star Game

The Celtics’ loss Saturday night in Chicago ensured that Detroit will hold the best record in the East by the February 1 cutoff. At 32-11, the Pistons have a five-game lead over second place Boston, which is 28-17.

The coaching honor continues a remarkable turnaround under Bickerstaff, who was hired in 2024 to take over a franchise that had finished last in the East in back-to-back years. He led Detroit to a 44-38 record last season, a 30-game improvement from the previous year, and a competitive first-round series against New York. The resurgence has continued as the Pistons currently have the second-best record in the NBA.

This will be Bickerstaff’s first time serving as a head coach in the All-Star Game, and he’s the first Detroit coach to enjoy that honor since Flip Saunders did it 20 years ago.

Oklahoma City holds a comfortable lead in the West, but Mark Daigneault was an All-Star head coach last season and league rules prohibit coaches from serving in that capacity in consecutive years. The honor will go to the coach with the second-best record on February 1, with San Antonio currently a half-game ahead of Denver and three games in front of Houston.

The All-Star Game, which takes place February 15 in Los Angeles, will feature a U.S. vs. the World format this year, with two teams of American players and one made up of players who were born elsewhere.