Rick Carlisle to Step Down as NBCA President; J.B. Bickerstaff Chosen as Successor
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Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Monday night that he will leave his post as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association at the end of December, closing a two-decade run at the helm of the group.
Speaking in Boston before the Pacers faced the Celtics, the 66-year-old coach announced, “This is my 20th year. My term will end at the end of this month.” NBCA members have elected Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff to take over the position beginning in January.
“J.B. is not only a trusted friend of mine and many, many coaches, he’s proven to be a great leader,” Carlisle said, noting Bickerstaff’s success in moving the Cleveland Cavaliers from the draft lottery to the playoffs and his work in Detroit over the past season and a half. Carlisle, who is one victory away from 1,000 career coaching wins, added, “I congratulate J.B. This will be a life-changing experience for him.”
Bickerstaff, 46, entered the NBA coaching ranks as a Charlotte assistant in 2004. He became Memphis’ interim head coach on Nov. 27, 2017, and was promoted to the full-time role on May 1, 2018. Cleveland elevated him to head coach in February 2020 after John Beilein resigned, and the Pistons hired him on July 3, 2024.
Carlisle also voiced support for Bickerstaff’s father, Bernie Bickerstaff, 81, a longtime NBA coach and executive, saying coaches are lobbying for his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor.
Source: ESPN
