Cavaliers fire JB Bickerstaff as head coach

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have fired J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach, Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman of Cleveland Clinic Courts announced today.

Bickerstaff, who posted a 170-159 regular season record (6-11 postseason), reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons (2023, 2024) and recorded at least 44 wins in each of the last three campaigns. The Cavaliers also won the first-round playoff series and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2018.

“JB is a respected NBA coach and an amazing person,” Altman said. “Over the past four years, he has helped create a culture that has progressively fueled players to become the best versions of themselves. Decisions like these are never easy, especially when you look back at where the franchise’s rebuilding began under his leadership. The NBA is a unique business that sometimes requires aggressive risk-taking to move a franchise forward and ultimately compete for championships. We are grateful for all that JB has brought to the Cavaliers and his commitment to the Cleveland community. We wish JB, his wife Nikki and their three children all the best in their future endeavors.”

Bickerstaff signed a multi-year contract extension in December 2021 and helped increase the Cavaliers’ win total to three straight seasons (19-46 in 2019-20; 22-50 in 2020-21; 44-38 in 2021- 22 and 51–51). 31 in 2022–23). He also played a key role in developing the Cavaliers’ young core of players.

In the 2022-23 season, Bickerstaff led Cleveland to its first 50-win season and a postseason berth since the 2017-18 season with a 51-31 record. The Cavaliers finished the season with the NBA’s best defensive rating (109.9) and eighth-best offensive rating (115.5), and were one of only three NBA teams to finish in the top 10 in both offense and defense (Boston and Philadelphia). He led the Cavs to a 44-38 record in the 2021-22 season, doubling their win total from the previous season. When Bickerstaff first took over shortly after the 2020 All-Star break, the Cavs went 5-6 before the season was indefinitely suspended due to Covid-19.

Bickerstaff, 45, originally joined the Cavaliers as the team’s associate head coach ahead of the 2019-20 season.