Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff was officially named a head coach for the 2026 All-Star game, the NBA announced late on Saturday, Jan. 24.
The honor is bestowed to the coach of the top team in each conference by Feb. 1. The 32-11 overall Pistons are five games ahead of the No. 2 Boston Celtics, and thus have clinched the top record in the East through January – a week before the cut-off point.
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff reacts to a play against Boston Celtics during the second half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.
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Bickerstaff is the first Pistons coach with an All-Star nod since Flip Saunders in 2006, and the fourth all-time, following Saunders, Doug Collins in 1997 and Chuck Daly in 1990.
He will coach one of the three All-Star game teams, in the first year of a new format for the annual showcase. This year’s game will be a round robin tournament featuring three teams — two featuring U.S. players, and one World team consisting of international players.
The tournament, set for Sunday, Feb. 15, at the Intuit Dome, in Inglewood, California, will feature four 12-minute games, and each team will have a minimum of eight players.
Cade Cunningham was named a starter in the All-Star Game on Jan. 19, becoming the first Piston to start the game since Allen Iverson in 2008-09. Cunningham, a reserve last season, is the first Piston to make consecutive All-Star games since Chauncey Billups from 2006-08.
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Reserves will likely be named in early February, with Pistons center Jalen Duren a likely pick.
Second-year forward Ron Holland, meanwhile, is a candidate for the Rising Stars Game on Feb. 13.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons’ J.B. Bickerstaff to coach in 2026 NBA All-Star Game
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