It wouldn’t surprise anyone that New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown is closely connected to someone in the NBA. This association is more personal than professional. And the link goes from New York to Detroit, where coach J.B. Bickerstaff sits. Knowing everything about Coach Brown before the world knew him as the 2-time Coach of the Year.

Are Mike Brown and J.B. Bickerstaff Actually Related?

To be clear, despite their close bond and frequent speculation, the two coaches are not related by blood. Despite the frequent speculation, Mike Brown and J.B. Bickerstaff share no bloodline, no marital link, and no familial thread tying them together. They are just two NBA minds moving on entirely separate family trees.

So, then why is there confusion about their relationship in the basketball community?

The confusion stems from their unusually close personal bond within NBA circles. Brown openly calls J.B. “my young fella”. Moreover, they share core coaching philosophies, stay in frequent contact, and even connect over music such as Jelly Roll.

As a result, the relationship feels familial. However, this dynamic traces back to a professional mentorship and personal trust built over more than 30 years, not lineage.

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Before the world knew Mike Brown as one of the elite coaches in the league, Bickerstaff knew him as his babysitter. Yes, the Knicks HC once took care of the Pistons‘ head coach.

How Did Mike Brown and J.B. Bickerstaff’s Unique Relationship Begin?

This unique relationship dates back to the early 1990s in Denver, where Brown began his NBA journey as a video assistant for the Nuggets under Bernie Bickerstaff, J.B.’s father and the team’s general manager. During that period, Mike Brown even babysat 13-year-old J.B.

Consequently, what started as proximity evolved into trust, then mentorship, and ultimately a long-standing professional bond formed over the course of decades.

Meanwhile, Bickerstaff told The Athletic: “He was strict. He had a great way of making things fun, but always organized and detailed. There weren’t going to be things that were missed, and he was scared to death of my dad. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to me.”

Now, when Bernie Bickerstaff would go out of town, the Knicks HC, who was then in his 20s, would take the J.B. to the zoo.

They often went one-on-one, while Brown regularly showed up at East High School in Denver to watch Bickerstaff play. Many tagged him as Denver’s next major basketball star.

Because his prep dominance stood out so clearly, Coach Brown never truly pictured a future on the sidelines for the Detroit Pistons HC.

These early days left a deep impact on Bickerstaff. Moreover, Brown brought him close, possibly nudged by Bickerstaff’s father, yet the mentorship never carried weight or obligation.

Instead, it felt natural, purposeful, and quietly influential, which is why the impact lasted far beyond those formative moments.

From Babysitting to the NBA Sidelines: How Their Careers Later Intersected

Mike Brown arrived this summer after New York stunned the league by firing Tom Thibodeau, despite its first Eastern Conference finals trip in 25 years. Therefore, the franchise sought a championship voice. Brown’s resume impressed. He began as a Denver Nuggets video assistant in the early 1990s, rose under Bernie Bickerstaff in Washington.

Then he became the Cavaliers’ head coach in 2005, reached the 2007 Finals, won Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2023 with the Sacramento Kings, ended their drought, owns a 454-304 record, and now carries hope of ending a 53-year wait.

Moreover, Brown’s elite links stand out. He replaced Phil Jackson with the Lakers in 2011, coached Kobe Bryant through the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, exited in round two, then was fired five games into 2012 to 13 amid tension and the famous stare.

Later, he joined Golden State in 2016, where he worked with Stephen Curry. The team reached the Finals four times, won titles in 2017, 2018, and 2022, went 12-0 as interim coach in the 2017 playoffs, and later schemed against Curry during the Kings-Warriors battles.

Meanwhile, J.B. Bickerstaff’s coaching arc signals transformation. After LeBron James left, he stabilized Cleveland, posting 44, 51, and 48 wins before his exit, while a 64-win season later brought no deeper playoff run under Kenny Atkinson.

Now in Detroit, he revived a franchise without a playoff win in 17 years and only three appearances since 2010.

This story bends expectations and breaks labels. Therefore, what appears to be family proves to be trust built over time. Babysitting became a belief, and belief became a shared purpose. Meanwhile, careers crossed, philosophies aligned, and respect deepened.

Mike Brown and J.B. Bickerstaff stand as proof that NBA bonds can feel blood deep, even without blood at all.