Charlotte Bobcats Name Bernie Bickerstaff Team’s First General Manager & Head Coach

October 16, 2003 – NBA veteran Bernie Bickerstaff was named the first-ever general manager and head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, it was announced today by Bobcats Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ed Tapscott. The expansion team begins play in the 2004-05 NBA season.

“Bernie Bickerstaff has the ideal qualities and experience necessary to lead the Bobcats expansion effort. His combined role will ensure that our organization carries out a well-coordinated and consistent basketball operations approach," said Tapscott. “Bernie has been a successful coach, general manager and president in the NBA for nearly 30 years. I’m excited to work together as we build a winning organization in Charlotte, both on and off the court.”

Bickerstaff has nearly 30 years of NBA experience, with 10 seasons as an NBA head coach, seven seasons as an NBA general manager and president and 12 years as an assistant coach. Among his many accomplishments, Bickerstaff has stood out as a leader who built winning organizations from the ground up.

As president and general manager of the Denver Nuggets from 1990-97, he directed a major turnaround as the club improved from 20 to 42 wins in three seasons. Denver made history in the 1994 Playoffs by becoming the first eighth-seeded team to defeat a top seed when the Nuggets beat Seattle in the first round. As the Nuggets’ lead executive, Bickerstaff selected four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo with the fourth overall selection in the 1991 NBA Draft, 2000 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Rodney Rogers (8th pick in ‘93), Jalen Rose (13th pick in ‘94) and Antonio McDyess (2nd overall pick came in draft-day trade with Clippers in ‘95).

The 1986-87 NBA Coach of the Year, Bickerstaff owns an NBA coaching record of 338-348 (.493) with Seattle, Denver and Washington. His win total ranks 34th on the league’s all-time victories list and he guided teams to playoffs five times in his 10 seasons.

As head coach of Seattle from 1985-90, Bickerstaff led the Sonics to a 202-208 (.493) record with playoff appearances in three of his five seasons. Seattle advanced to the 1987 Western Conference Finals in his second season as the seventh-seeded Sonics upset second-seeded Dallas and then Houston before falling to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

During his executive tenure in Denver, he served as head coach from 1994-96 and had a 59-68 (.465) record in one full season and two partial campaigns, taking the Nuggets to the playoffs in 1994-95 with wins in 20 of the final 32 games.

Bickerstaff began his NBA career in Washington as an assistant coach from 1973-85. He returned to the nation’s capital as head coach from 1997-99 where he compiled a 77-72 (.517) record and led that franchise to its first playoff berth in nine seasons and Washington’s only playoff appearance since 1987-88. During a 12-year tenure as an assistant, he helped the Bullets to the 1978 NBA World Championship, the NBA Finals in 1975, 1978 and 1979, 10 playoff berths and a franchise-record 60 wins in 1974-75.

A native of Bedham, Kentucky, Bickerstaff served as part owner, general manager and head coach of the St. Louis Swarm of the International Basketball League. His teams won IBL titles in 2000 and 2001, had the league’s best regular season record both seasons and finished a combined 90-24 in the two seasons. Bickerstaff was the league’s Coach of the Year after each season.

Bickerstaff's coaching career began at his alma mater, the University of San Diego, where he started as an assistant coach in 1968-69. He was elevated to head coach a year later and had a 55-49 (.529) record in four years, finishing with a 19-9 season in 1972-73. In 1995, Bickerstaff entered the University of San Diego's Hall of Fame in the Toreros’ inaugural induction class.

Most recently Bickerstaff engineered the quick transition of the Charlotte Sting following Robert L. Johnson’s purchase of the franchise and operational transfer from the WNBA in January 2003. The Sting finished second in the Eastern Conference and qualified for the 2003 WNBA playoffs.

Bickerstaff will hire his coaching staff in the spring of 2004.

The Charlotte Bobcats, who select fourth in the 2004 NBA Draft following an expansion draft of players from other NBA teams, will play their inaugural season in 2004-05 at the Charlotte Coliseum before moving to Charlotte’s new Uptown Arena beginning with the 2005-06 NBA season. For more information, visit the Bobcats online at www.bobcatsbasketball.com.