Pistons PR staff wins PBWA's 2025-26 Brian McIntyre Award

Brian McIntyre Media Relations Award presented each season to PR staff that exemplifies professionalism and excellence.

Official release

April 14, 2026 6:55 PM

Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff (right) and chief communications officer Kevin Grigg (not pictured) are part of the Pistons team awarded the 2025-26 Brian McIntyre Award.

April 14, 2026 — The Detroit Pistons’ basketball communications team has won the 2025-26 Brian McIntyre Media Relations Award, presented each season to the NBA media relations staff that best exemplifies standards of professionalism and excellence, the Professional Basketball Writers Association announced today.

The Pistons staff is led by chief communications officer Kevin Grigg, along with Cletus Lewis, vice president of public relations; Michael Horan, senior director of communications; Corey Moore, senior manager of public relations; and Savannah Strawter, coordinator of public relations.

Grigg’s staff, along with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, consistently foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation with both local and national journalists who cover the league. Their commitment to those ideals has facilitated accurate, in-depth and nuanced coverage of the team.

“The Pistons’ resurgence has put this franchise back in the national spotlight – but everyone who covers the league knows that the Pistons’ PR staff has been elite for many years. If anything, this award feels overdue,” said PBWA president Howard Beck. “Kevin, Cletus and the rest of the staff are always welcoming, and always eager to connect reporters with players, coaches and team officials.”

The media relations staff of the Washington Wizards finished second in this year’s balloting. The other finalists, based on nominations from PBWA members, were the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets. A vote of the full PBWA membership determined the winner.

This is the Pistons’ first time winning the award, which was launched in 2006-07 and is named for Brian McIntyre, the former longtime NBA public relations director.

The PBWA annually honors a PR staff (Brian McIntyre Award), coach (Rudy Tomjanovich Award) and star player (Magic Johnson Award) who go above and beyond to work with the media and help inform fans. Under the PBWA’s current rules, adopted in 2020, no team or individual can win in consecutive years.

The PBWA is composed of more than 200 writers and editors who cover the NBA and the WNBA on a regular basis for newspapers, online outlets and magazines.