NBA BOARD OF GOVERNORS APPROVES NEW DRAFT LOTTERY SYSTEM TO ADDRESS TANKING

“3-2-1 Lottery” Designed to Eliminate Incentives for Teams to Prioritize Draft Position Over Winning

The NBA Board of Governors has approved a new NBA Draft Lottery system designed to eliminate incentives for teams to prioritize their position in the Draft over winning games.

The “3-2-1 Lottery” expands the lottery from 14 to 16 teams and flattens odds among teams that do not qualify for the NBA Playoffs or NBA Play-In Tournament. The new system will take effect beginning with the 2027 NBA Draft.

KEY ELEMENTS OF THE 3-2-1 LOTTERY

Flattened Odds and Draft Relegation: Each team participating in the Draft Lottery will receive three, two or one lottery ball for the drawing. Teams that do not qualify for the NBA Playoffs or NBA Play-In Tournament will receive three lottery balls each, except that – to provide an increased incentive to win – the teams with the three worst records will be “draft relegated” and lose one of their lottery balls. The No. 9 and No. 10 Play-In seeds in each conference will receive two lottery balls each, while the losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 Play-In games in each conference will receive one lottery ball each.

Lottery Drawing: Lottery balls allocated to all 16 participating teams will be drawn to determine the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Pick Floors: Each draft-relegated team will receive, at worst, the No. 12 pick in the NBA Draft. All other lottery teams can fall as far as the No. 16 pick.

Pick Restrictions: No team’s pick will be permitted to be the first pick in two consecutive NBA Drafts or a top-five pick in three consecutive NBA Drafts. These restrictions will apply only to each team’s own pick without regard to whether that pick has been retained by the team or traded to (and thus held by) another team.

Pick Protections: Teams will be unable to attach top-12 through top-15 protections to newly traded draft picks.

Discipline: The league will have expanded disciplinary authority to address tanking, including the ability to reduce teams’ lottery odds, modify teams’ draft positions and impose significant fines on offending teams.

Since October, the league office has met with key stakeholders to discuss current competitive incentives and solicit ideas aimed at discouraging tanking. That process led to the creation of the 3-2-1 Lottery.

The 3-2-1 Lottery will be in effect for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 NBA Drafts. Rules governing selection order beginning with the 2030 NBA Draft will be determined by a vote of the Board of Governors.

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National Basketball Coaches Association Announces 2026 Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award Voted Annually By 30 NBA Head Coaches

The National Basketball Coaches Association have announced that Detroit Pistons Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff is the 2026 recipient of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award.

The Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award recognizes the dedication, commitment, and hard work of NBA head coaches and is presented annually to a head coach who helped guide his players to a higher level of performance on-the-court and showed outstanding service and dedication to the community off-the-court. It honors the spirit of Mr. Goldberg, the esteemed long-time Executive Director of the NBCA, who set the standard for loyalty, integrity, love of the game, passionate representation, and tireless promotion of NBA coaching. The award is unique in that it is voted upon by the winners’ peers, the head coaches of all 30 NBA teams.

In total, seven head coaches received votes, reflecting the depth of coaching excellence in the NBA this season. In addition to Bickerstaff, the following head coaches also received votes [listed alphabetically]: Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder; Mitch Johnson, San Antonio Spurs; Charles Lee, Charlotte Hornets; Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics; Quin Snyder, Atlanta Hawks; and Tiago Splitter, Portland Trail Blazers.

“I’m extremely honored to receive this recognition from my coaching peers,” said Detroit Pistons Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “None of this is possible without the many people I’ve been blessed with along my journey, beginning with my dad, who has always been my inspiration for wanting to get into this profession, and my family for their love and support. I also owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to all the coaches I’ve worked with and learned from throughout my career.”

“I’m grateful to my coaching staff for all they do to help prepare our team for every practice and game. Tom Gores, Trajan Langdon and the basketball front office, and the Pistons organization have provided us with all the resources to go out and be successful. I’m thankful for their support and dedication to what we’re building here in Detroit. I’ve been lucky to coach a special group of young men this season and seeing their individual and collective growth has been gratifying. I’m truly thankful for their commitment, dedication and willingness to allow me to coach them. This award is truly an acknowledgement of all the hard work done by everyone who work with our players daily including our medical and performance teams, player development coaches and all of our support staff. ”

“To receive this award after recently being elected by my peers as the next President of the National Basketball Coaches Association adds special meaning. It’s a responsibility I look forward to upholding and building upon at a standard of excellence that’s been maintained by Rick Carlisle over the last two-plus decades.”

Coach Bickerstaff, in his second season as Head Coach of the Pistons, led the team to the best record in the Eastern Conference and the third-best overall record in the NBA.

The Pistons captured their first 60-win season since the 2005-2006 campaign and notched 32 wins at home and a franchise-record 28 road wins. The Bickerstaff-led Pistons finished with an overall record of 60-22, a 16-game improvement from last season, and the team’s third-best mark in franchise history. Bickerstaff became the first head coach in NBA history to take a franchise from 60 losses to 60 wins in a two-season span. This season, Bickerstaff also became the third fastest coach to reach 100 wins in franchise history (159 games).

Coach Bickerstaff was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October/November and was selected as the head coach of the Eastern Conference (Team USA Stars) at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game where he coached the squad to a win.

Bickerstaff has transformed the Pistons into one of the most dominant and aggressive forces in the paint on both sides of the ball. The Pistons led the league in points in the paint (57.9) and blocks per game (6.4). Detroit was also the only team to rank top five in both offensive and defensive points allowed in the paint. Additionally, the Pistons ranked top three in numerous statistical categories, including:

• First in blocks per game (6.4)
• First in steals per game (10.4)
• First in offensive points in the paint (57.9)
• Second in defensive rating (108.9)
• Second in net rating (8.4)
• Third in free throws attempted (26.1)
• Third in plus minus (8.2)
• Third in offensive rebounds per game (13.1)

“J.B. Bickerstaff is extremely deserving of this award and the recognition from his fellow Head Coaches,” said David Fogel, NBCA Executive Director and General Counsel. “This season Coach Bickerstaff has shown the ultimate dedication to the coaching profession. Not only has he guided the Pistons to one of the best seasons in franchise history, but his coaching peers also elected him as the sixth President in NBCA history. Congratulations to Coach Bickerstaff, the Pistons assistant coaches, and the entire organization on winning the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award.”

In 1980, just four years after the NBCA was founded, Goldberg became its first Executive Director. He guided the organization during the years of the greatest growth in professional basketball. He helped gain significant benefits for NBA Coaches, including increased retirement funds, salary levels, and disability insurance. Prior to the NBCA, Goldberg was General Counsel of the American Basketball Association.

Previous recipients of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award are:

2025: Kenny Atkinson
2024: Mark Daigneault
2023: Mike Brown
2022: Monty Williams
2021: Monty Williams
2020: Mike Budenholzer and Billy Donovan
2019: Mike Budenholzer
2018: Dwane Casey
2017: Mike D’Antoni and Erik Spoelstra

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PISTONS’ CUNNINGHAM AND LAKERS’ DONČIĆ ELIGIBLE FOR 2025-26 NBA AWARDS

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have agreed, in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), that Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić are eligible for all annual awards for the 2025-26 NBA regular season.

Cunningham played in 63 qualified games due in part to missing 12 games as a result of a collapsed lung that was diagnosed on March 17. Dončić played in 64 qualified games due in part to missing two games to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia. The NBA and NBPA agreed that, taking into account the totality of the circumstances for Cunningham and Dončić, each player qualified for awards under the extraordinary circumstances provision in the CBA.

Additionally, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who played in 60 qualified games, filed an extraordinary circumstances challenge under the CBA, seeking award eligibility before an independent arbitrator. Edwards’ challenge was denied and, as a result, he is not eligible for annual awards for the 2025-26 NBA regular season.

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Windsor Express Return Home with First Round Series Tied 1-1

Playoff basketball has returned to Windsor, and the Windsor Express are set to defend home court in front of their fans at the WFCU Centre.

Following two hard-fought road games in Kitchener this past week, the Express are tied 1- 1 in their best-of-five First Round series against the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans. The series now shifts to Windsor, where the Express will look to build momentum and capitalize on home court advantage.

Fans can expect a high-energy and competitive matchup as the Express continue their pursuit of a
championship.

“This is what we have been working toward all season. Our group is locked in, focused, and ready for the challenge ahead. We know what is at stake, and we are excited to compete in front of our fans and bring playoff basketball back to Windsor.” – Head Coach, Bill Jones

Round 1 Home Game Schedule:

• Game 3: Thursday, April 9th at 7:00PM – WFCU Centre
• Game 4: Saturday, April 11th at 4:00PM – WFCU Centre

Tickets for all home playoff games are available now and can be purchased online or in person at the WFCU Centre Box Office. Fans are encouraged to secure their seats early and be part of the playoff
atmosphere as the Windsor Express take the court at home.

WIN TICKETS

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CADE CUNNINGHAM NAMED EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE MONTH

The NBA announced has that Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in February. Previously named Eastern Conference Player of the Month in November, it marks the second time in his career that Cunningham has received the honor.

Cunningham (6-6, 243) led the Pistons to a 9-2 record in February – tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference last month – while averaging 25.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists while shooting 47.2% from the field in 11 games. Cunningham also made his first career start in the NBA All-Star game in February and has led the Pistons to an NBA-best 76.3% winning percentage thus far and their most wins (45) since 2007-08.

Cunningham’s February performances included seven double-doubles and three 30-plus point performances. In a win at New York on Feb. 19, Cunningham tallied 42 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and two blocks, the first Piston in franchise history and just the third player in NBA history to record such minimums at Madison Square Garden (Allen Iverson and LeBron James). Cunningham also notched a four-game streak of at least 10 assists and two blocks from Feb. 19-26, the second longest such streak in NBA history and the longest streak since 1994 (Mookie Blaylock, five-game streak).

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, Cunningham has averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists in 35.0 minutes per game through 53 games this season. His 9.8 assists per game lead the Eastern Conference and rank second in the NBA (Nikola Jokic) and would be the highest average by a Piston since Isiah Thomas (10.0, 1986-87). Through 261 career games as a Piston, he ranks first in total points (5,938) and second in assists (2,049) behind Isiah Thomas (2,399) in the first 261 games to begin a career.

The Arlington, Texas, native is one of two players in the NBA this season averaging at least 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, joining Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Among all guards this season, Cunningham ranks first in the NBA in double-doubles (33) and third in lowest opponent field goal percentage (.428). Cunningham is also the only player in the NBA this season with at least three games with four-plus steals and two-plus blocks.

His 30 point-assists double-doubles this season leads the entire NBA, and he currently ranks fourth in the association in total double-doubles (33).

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