PISTONS ACQUIRE DRAFT RIGHTS TO EBUKA OKORIE

The Detroit Pistons have acquired the draft rights to Ebuka Okorie, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. In exchange, Detroit sent the draft rights to Karim Lopez (No. 21 overall) and three future second round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Okorie, 6-1, 186, led the ACC in scoring as a freshman averaging 23.2 points per game for the Stanford Cardinal, becoming the first Cardinal to do so since Landry Fields in 2009-10. Okorie also averaged 3.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 35.1 minutes per game across 31 appearances as a freshman. He ranked third among all freshmen in scoring and tied for the most 30-point games of any freshman nationally with eight, matching the ACC freshman record previously held by Duke’s Marvin Bagley III. His 719 points last season marked the second-most in Stanford history for a freshman and third-most overall in a single season in program history.

A native of Nashua, N.H., Okorie broke Stanford’s freshman single-game scoring record three times, capped by a 40-point performance against Georgia Tech that made him one of just six freshmen in ACC history to score 40 in a game. After originally committing to Harvard, Okorie stepped into the Cardinal’s starting lineup and earned First Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team honors.

Okorie will be the second player in Stanford program history to join the Detroit Pistons franchise, along with former NBA scoring champion George Yardley.

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Windsor Express Expands Trades On Tour Program with Second Annual Skilled Trades Camp and New Girls-Only Camp

The Windsor Express is proud to announce the return of its Trades On Tour Skilled Trades Camp, taking place July 20-24, 2026, and the launch of a new Trades On
Tour Skilled Trades Camp for Girls running July 27-31, 2026.

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural camp, the Windsor Express is expanding the program to provide even more opportunities for youth to explore rewarding careers in the skilled trades. The organization has partnered with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor (WEST) to deliver a dedicated camp experience exclusively for girls ages 11-14, designed to introduce participants to women leaders and professionals working throughout the skilled trades sector. The Trades On Tour Camp was developed as an extension of the Windsor Express’ annual Express to the Trades Skilled Trades Career Expo, an initiative the organization has hosted for the past five years prior to select home games at the WFCU Centre. The camp provides youth with a hands-on opportunity to further explore the skilled trades through direct engagement with industry professionals and workplace environments.

“We are excited to continue growing the Trades On Tour program and creating meaningful opportunities for youth to explore careers in the skilled trades,” said Dartis Willis, President & CEO of the Windsor Express. “The skilled trades offer incredible career pathways that are essential to our community. Through these camps, we are helping young people discover opportunities they may not have previously considered while connecting them with professionals who can inspire their future career journeys.” The girls-only camp marks an important milestone for the program and aims to encourage greater participation of young women in the skilled trades by providing mentorship and learning experiences led by women working in the industry.

“WEST is thrilled to partner with the Windsor Express to deliver this unique opportunity for young girls in our community,” said Rose Anguiano Hurst, Executive Director of Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor. “Representation matters. By connecting girls with successful women working in the skilled trades, we can help break down barriers, build confidence, and demonstrate the wide range of rewarding career opportunities available to them. We look forward to inspiring the next generation of skilled trades
professionals.”

Both camp weeks will offer participants an engaging and educational experience through:

• Guided tours of skilled trades facilities
• Interactive workshops and hands-on activities
• Industry speaker presentations and Q&A sessions
• Exposure to a variety of skilled trades career pathways

As an added bonus, every participant will receive camp swag and a Windsor Express ticket voucher. Space is limited for both camps. For more information to register, visit www.windsorexpress.ca

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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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