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J.B. Bickerstaff, Cavaliers Reportedly Agree to Contract Extension Through 2026-27
December 25, 2021
Amid a surprisingly strong start to this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly rewarded head coach J.B. Bickerstaff with a contract extension.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Bickerstaff agreed to a new deal that will keep him with the team through the 2026-27 season.
Bickerstaff is in his second full season as Cleveland's head coach. He was originally hired in May 2019 as an associate head coach on John Beilein's staff.
After Beilein's surprise resignation in February 2020, Bickerstaff was promoted to head coach.
The Cavs announced in March 2020 that Bickerstaff agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the team. He went 5-6 in the final 11 games of the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season.
Cleveland went 22-50 during the 2020-21 campaign, Bickerstaff's first full season as head coach.
The selection of Evan Mobley with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft and continued development of young players, including Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, has the Cavs off to a 19-13 start this season.
Bickerstaff has this season's team fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Cavaliers rank second in the NBA in points allowed per game (101.4) and third in defensive efficiency (104.1), per Basketball-Reference.com.
This is the latest in a season that Cleveland has had a winning record since the final season of LeBron James' second stint with the organization in 2017-18, which they finished with a record of 50-32.
Bickerstaff previously served as head coach for the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies. The 42-year-old has a 131-200 career record in six seasons as a head coach.