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Detroit Pistons

April 26, 2024

The Detroit Pistons are an American basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Little Caesars Arena, located in Midtown Detroit. The team was founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, a semi-professional company basketball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1937. The club would turn professional in 1941 as a member of the National Basketball League (NBL), where they won two NBL championships: in 1944 and 1945. The Pistons later joined the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1948. The NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949, and the Pistons became part of the merged league.[1][8] In 1957, the franchise moved to Detroit. The Pistons have won three NBA championships: in 1989, 1990 and 2004.

Detroit Pistons
2023–24 Detroit Pistons season
ConferenceEastern
DivisionCentral
Founded1937
HistoryFort Wayne Zollner Pistons
1937–1941 (semi-professional)
1941–1948 (NBL)
Fort Wayne Pistons
1948–1957 (BAA/NBA)
Detroit Pistons
1957–present[1][2][3]
ArenaLittle Caesars Arena
LocationDetroit, Michigan
Team colorsRoyal blue, red, chrome, black, white[4][5][6]
         
Main sponsorUnited Wholesale Mortgage[7]
PresidentEd Stefanski
General managerTroy Weaver
Head coachMonty Williams
OwnershipTom Gores
Affiliation(s)Motor City Cruise
Championships5
NBL: 2 (1944, 1945)
NBA: 3 (1989, 1990, 2004)
Conference titles5 (1988, 1989, 1990, 2004, 2005)
Division titles15
NBL: 4 (1943, 1944, 1945, 1946)
NBA: 11 (1955, 1956, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
Retired numbers11 (1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 15, 16, 21, 32, 40)
Websitewww.nba.com/pistons
Association
Icon

Franchise history edit

1937–1957: Fort Wayne (Zollner) Pistons edit

Fred Zollner owned the Zollner Corporation, a foundry that manufactured pistons, primarily for car, truck, and locomotive engines in Fort Wayne, Indiana.[9] In 1937, Zollner sponsored a semi-professional company basketball team called the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons after he received a request from his workers.[10] In 1941, the Zollner Pistons shed their works team roots and joined the National Basketball League (NBL).[1] The Zollner Pistons were NBL champions in 1944 and 1945.[1] They also won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1944, 1945 and 1946.[11]

In 1948, the team became the Fort Wayne Pistons and jumped to the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[9] In 1949, Fred Zollner brokered the formation of the National Basketball Association from the BAA and the NBL at his kitchen table.[9]

There are suggestions that Pistons players conspired with gamblers to shave points and throw various games during the 1953–54 and 1954–55 seasons. In particular, there are accusations that the team may have intentionally lost the 1955 NBA Finals to the Syracuse Nationals.[12] In the decisive Game 7, the Pistons led 41–24 early in the second quarter before the Nationals rallied to win the game.[13][14] The Nationals won on a free throw by George King with 12 seconds left in the game.[13][14] The closing moments included a palming turnover by the Pistons' George Yardley with 18 seconds left, a foul by Frank Brian with 12 seconds left that enabled King's winning free throw, and a turnover by the Pistons' Andy Phillip in the final seconds which cost them a chance to attempt the game winning shot.[13][14] In the following season, the Pistons made it back to the NBA Finals. However, they were defeated by the Philadelphia Warriors in five games.[15]

1957–1981: Decades of struggles edit

 
Dave Bing joined the team in 1966, scoring 1,601 points in his rookie year.

Though the Pistons enjoyed a solid local following, Fort Wayne's small size made it difficult for them to be profitable, especially as other early NBA teams based in smaller cities started folding or relocating to larger markets.[1] After the 1956–57 season, Fred Zollner decided that Fort Wayne was too small to support an NBA team and announced the team would be playing elsewhere in the coming season. He ultimately settled on Detroit.[1] Although it was the fifth largest city in the United States at the time,[16] Detroit had not seen professional basketball in a decade.[1][17][18][19] They lost the Detroit Eagles due to World War II, both the Detroit Gems of the NBL (who became the Minneapolis Lakers) and the Detroit Falcons of the BAA in 1947, and the Detroit Vagabond Kings in 1949.[1][17][18][19] Zollner decided to keep the Pistons name, believing it made sense given Detroit's status as the center of the automobile industry.[1][9] George Yardley set the NBA single-season scoring record in the Pistons' first season in Detroit, becoming the first player to score 2,000 points in a season.[20][21]

The Pistons played in Olympia Stadium (home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) at the time) for their first four seasons, then moved to Cobo Arena beginning in the 1961–62 season.[19][22]

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Pistons were characterized by talented players including George Yardley, Bailey Howell, Dave Debusschere, Dave Bing, and Bob Lanier, questionable trades, and frequent coaching changes.[22][23][24][25][26][27] At one point, DeBusschere was the youngest player-coach in the history of the NBA.[25] Then a trade during the 1968–69 season sent DeBusschere to the New York Knicks for Howard Komives and Walt Bellamy, both of whom had their best seasons behind them.[25] DeBusschere became a key player in leading the Knicks to two NBA titles.[25] Howell had previously been dealt to the Baltimore Bullets in 1964 and former Pistons guard Gene Shue, who was the head coach of the Bullets at the time, assessed the Pistons thusly: "Detroit has the worst management in the league."[28][29] Howell would go to win two championships as a member of the Boston Celtics. Yardley, Lanier, and Bing all ended their Pistons tenure being traded away, frustrated with the direction and opportunities with Detroit.[30][31][32]

In 1974, Zollner sold the team to glass magnate Bill Davidson, who remained the team's principal owner until his death in 2009.[33][34]

The team had a winning season in 1971, having spent the 1960s below .500, and then had a brief period of sustained success in the mid-1970s, qualifying for the playoffs in four straight seasons (1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977).[35][36][37][38] Hope was then placed in Dick Vitale in 1978, the former head coach at the University of Detroit, but he was fired the following season, and the team limped into the 1980s with a 16–66 record in 1979–80.[39] The 1979–80 team lost its last 14 games of the season which, when coupled with the seven losses at the start of the 1980–81 season, constituted a then-NBA record losing streak of 21 games.[40]

Over time, Davidson became displeased with Cobo Arena, but opted not to follow the Red Wings to the under-construction Joe Louis Arena next door. Instead, in 1978, he moved the team to the suburb of Pontiac, where they played in the 82,000 capacity Silverdome, a structure built for professional football (and the home of the Detroit Lions at the time).[22][41]

1981–1994: The Isiah Thomas era edit

The franchise's fortunes finally began to turn in 1981, when they drafted point guard Isiah Thomas from Indiana University.[24] In November 1981, the Pistons acquired Vinnie Johnson in a trade with the Seattle SuperSonics.[42] They later acquired center Bill Laimbeer in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in February 1982.[43] Another key move by the Pistons was the hiring of head coach Chuck Daly in 1983.[44]

 
Isiah Thomas against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 1985.

Initially, the Pistons had difficulty moving up the NBA ladder. In 1984, the Pistons lost a tough five-game series to the underdog New York Knicks, 3–2.[45] In the 1985 playoffs, Detroit won its first-round series and faced the defending champion Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals. Though Boston prevailed in six games, Detroit's surprise performance promised that a rivalry had begun.[39] In the 1985 NBA draft, the team selected Joe Dumars 18th overall, a selection that proved to be very wise.[46] They also acquired Rick Mahorn in a trade with the Washington Bullets.[47] However, the team took a step backwards, losing in the first round of the 1986 playoffs to the more athletic Atlanta Hawks.[48] After the series, changes were made in order to make the team more defensive-minded.[39]

1986–1992: The Bad Boys edit

Prior to the 1986–87 season, the Pistons acquired more key players: John Salley (drafted 11th overall), Dennis Rodman (drafted 27th) and Adrian Dantley (acquired in a trade with the Utah Jazz).[49][50] The team adopted a physical, defense-oriented style of play, which eventually earned them the nickname "Bad Boys".[51]

In 1987, the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. After pushing the defending champions to a 2–2 tie, the Pistons were on the verge of winning Game 5 at the Boston Garden with seconds remaining.[52][53] After a Celtics turnover, Isiah Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball and missed Chuck Daly's timeout signal from the bench. Larry Bird stole the inbound pass and passed it to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup.[52][53] While the Pistons did win Game 6 in Detroit, they lost the series in a tough Game 7 back in Boston.[52][53]

 
Chuck Daly, coach of the 1989 and 1990 NBA champions.
 
A ticket for Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals at The Forum.

Motivated by their loss to the Celtics, the Pistons, aided by midseason acquisition James Edwards, improved to a then-franchise-record 54 victories and the franchise's first division title in 32 years.[39][54][55] In the postseason, the Pistons avenged their two previous playoff losses to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating them in six games and advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to Detroit.[39]

The Pistons' first trip to the Finals in 32 years saw them face the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.[15][39] After taking a 3–2 series lead back to Los Angeles, Detroit appeared poised to win their first NBA title in Game 6. In that game, Isiah Thomas scored an NBA Finals record 25 points in the third quarter while playing on a severely sprained ankle.[56] However, the Lakers won the game, 103–102, on a pair of last-second free throws by Abdul-Jabbar following a controversial foul called on Bill Laimbeer, referred to by many as a "phantom foul".[56][57] With Thomas unable to compete at full strength, the Pistons narrowly fell in Game 7, 108–105, as the Lakers became the first back-to-back NBA Champions since the 1969 Boston Celtics.[56][58]

 
Dennis Rodman, NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991

Prior to the 1988–89 season, the Pistons moved to Auburn Hills to play at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the first NBA arena financed entirely with private funds.[59] The 1989 Pistons completed the building of their roster by trading Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre, a trade that Pistons fans criticized heavily initially, but later praised.[60][61][62][63] The team won 63 games, shattering their one-year-old franchise record, and steamrolled through the playoffs and into an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. This time, the Pistons came out victorious in a four-game sweep to win their first NBA championship. Joe Dumars was named NBA Finals MVP.[64]

 
Isiah Thomas, 1990 NBA Finals MVP

The Pistons successfully defended their title in 1990, despite losing Rick Mahorn to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the expansion draft.[65][66] After winning 59 games and a third straight division title, the Pistons cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs before playing a tough Eastern Conference Finals series against Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and the Chicago Bulls. Facing each other for the third straight season, the Pistons and Bulls split the first six games before the Pistons finished the series with a decisive 93–74 victory in Game 7.[67][68][69] Advancing to their third consecutive NBA Finals, the Pistons faced the Portland Trail Blazers.[66] After splitting the first two games at The Palace, the Pistons went to Portland, where they had not won a game since 1974, to play Games 3, 4 and 5.[70] The Pistons won all three games in Portland, becoming the first NBA team to sweep the middle three games on the road.[71] The decisive game came down to the final second. Trailing 90–83 with two minutes remaining, the Pistons rallied to tie the game, then took a 92–90 lead when Vinnie Johnson sank a 15-foot jumper with 00.7 seconds left in the game; this shot earned Johnson a new nickname in Detroit, "007", to go with his original, "The Microwave".[66][72] Isiah Thomas was named NBA Finals MVP.[66]

The Pistons' championship run came to an end in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, as they were swept by the eventual NBA champion Chicago Bulls in four games.[73] The most critical injury during this time belonged to Isiah Thomas, who had suffered a wrist injury a few months prior to the NBA playoffs.[74] The Conference Finals is best remembered for the Pistons walking off the court in the last game just before it ended, willingly letting the final seconds tick away, unwilling to shake hands with the Bulls. After the series, Michael Jordan said, "You see two different styles with us and them. The dirty play and the flagrant fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct. Hopefully, that will be eliminated from the game. I think we play clean basketball. We don't go out and try to hurt people and dirty up the game. You never lose respect for the champions. But I haven't agreed with the methods they used. I think people are happy the game will get back to a clean game [with a Bulls triumph] and away from the 'Bad Boy' image."[75][76][77]

After getting swept by the Bulls, the Pistons traded James Edwards and waived Vinnie Johnson during the off-season.[78][79] In the 1991–92 season, the Pistons finished with a 48–34 record.[80][81] In the first round of the 1992 NBA playoffs, the Pistons were defeated by the New York Knicks in five games.[82] Chuck Daly resigned as head coach after the season.[83] Following Daly's departure, the Pistons went through a transitional period, as key players were either traded (Salley and Rodman) or retired (Laimbeer in 1993 and Thomas in 1994).[24][84][85][86] They bottomed out in the 1993–94 season, finishing with a 20–62 record.[80]

1994–2000: The Grant Hill era edit

 
Doug Collins, one of five head coaches for the Pistons in an eight-year span.

Following the 1993–94 season, they were able to draft Grant Hill, a promising small forward, with the third overall pick.[80][87] However, this period also saw the team make numerous questionable personnel decisions, such as the loss of free agent Allan Houston to the New York Knicks,[88] the signing of free agent washouts Loy Vaught and Bison Dele;[89] and head coaching changes from Ron Rothstein to Don Chaney to Doug Collins to Alvin Gentry to George Irvine in an eight-year span.[80][90][91][92] Of these coaches, only Collins had any sort of success with the Pistons, winning 54 games in the 1996–97 season.[80] The franchise even changed its team colors in 1996 from its traditional red and blue to teal, burgundy, gold and black in what proved to be a highly unpopular move with fans.[92][93] The only color that did not change was white.[93] This period has become known, often derisively, as the "teal era".[92]

2000–2008: "Goin' to Work" era edit

2000–2002: Building a contender edit

After being swept by the Miami Heat in the 2000 playoffs, Joe Dumars, who had retired following the 1998–99 season, was hired as the team's president of basketball operations.[94] He quickly faced what appeared to be a setback for the franchise, as Grant Hill elected to leave for the Orlando Magic.[95] However, Dumars worked a sign and trade with Orlando that brought the Pistons Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins in exchange for Hill.[96] Both quickly entered the Pistons' starting lineup. Wallace in particular developed into a defensive stalwart in the coming years.[92][97] However, Hill played only 47 games in the following three seasons due to a recurring ankle injury.[92]

 
Larry Brown coached the Pistons to the 2004 NBA title and the Eastern Conference championship the following season.

The Pistons suffered through another tough season in 2000–01, going 32–50 despite Jerry Stackhouse averaging 29.8 points a game.[98] After the season, the Pistons fired George Irvine as head coach and hired Rick Carlisle, a widely respected assistant coach who had been a contributor for the Celtics during the mid-1980s.[99] The franchise also returned to its traditional red, white, and blue colors.[92]

Carlisle helped lead the Pistons to their first 50-win season since 1997, and their first playoff series victory since 1991 by defeating the Toronto Raptors in five games.[100][101] They lost, however, to the Boston Celtics in five games.[102]

2003–2008: Six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals edit

In the 2002 off-season, Joe Dumars revamped the roster by signing free agent Chauncey Billups, acquiring Richard "Rip" Hamilton from the Washington Wizards, and drafting Tayshaun Prince from Kentucky.[103][104][105] The Pistons posted consecutive 50-win seasons and advanced to the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1991.[106][107] There, however, they were swept in four games by the New Jersey Nets.[108]

Despite the team's improvement, Rick Carlisle was fired in the 2003 off-season. There were believed to be five reasons for the firing: first, that Carlisle had appeared reluctant to play some of the team's younger players, such as Prince and Mehmet Okur, during the regular season; second, that some of the players had not gotten along with Carlisle; third, that Carlisle's offense was thought to be conservative; fourth, that Hall of Famer Larry Brown had become available; and fifth, that Carlisle was rumored to have alienated owner Bill Davidson with his personality.[109][110] Brown accepted the job that summer.[111]

 Chauncey BillupsTayshaun PrinceRichard HamiltonRasheed WallaceBen Wallace
The starting five of the Pistons' 2004 championship team. (Left-to right: Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, and Tayshaun Prince).
 
The Pistons are honored at the White House for the team's victory in the 2004 NBA Finals.

The Pistons' transformation into a championship team was completed with the February 2004 acquisition of Rasheed Wallace.[112] The Pistons now had another big man to pose a threat from all parts of the court.[113] The Pistons finished the season 54–28, recording their best record since 1997.[113] In the 2004 playoffs, after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, they defeated the defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets in seven games after coming back from a 3–2 deficit.[113] The Pistons then defeated the Pacers, coached by Rick Carlisle, in six tough games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1990.[114][113][115] Many analysts gave the Pistons little chance to win against their opponent, the Los Angeles Lakers, who had won three out of the previous four NBA championships and who fielded a star-studded lineup that included Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone.[113][116] However, the Pistons won the series in dominating fashion, defeating Los Angeles in five games for the team's third NBA championship.[113][117] The Pistons posted double-digit wins in three of their four victories and held the Lakers to a franchise-low 68 points in Game 3.[113][118] Chauncey Billups was named NBA Finals MVP.[113][117] With the win, Bill Davidson became the first owner to win both an NBA and NHL championship in the same calendar year, as he had also won the Stanley Cup as owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning.[34]

Despite losing key members of their bench during the off-season (including Okur, Mike James and Corliss Williamson), the Pistons were considered a strong contender to win a second consecutive title in 2005.[119] They won 54 games during the regular season, their fourth consecutive season of 50 or more wins.[120] During the 2005 playoffs, they easily defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4–1 and then rallied from a 2–1 deficit to finish off the Indiana Pacers, 4–2.[121][122][123] In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons faced the Miami Heat. Once again, the Pistons fell behind.[124] However, they ultimately won the series in seven games.[125] In the NBA Finals, the Pistons faced the San Antonio Spurs. After the teams split the first four games of the series, the turning point came at the end of Game 5 in Detroit, which went into overtime. The Pistons were ahead 95–93 when Robert Horry sank the game-winning three-point basket for the Spurs with 5.8 seconds left in the extra session.[126] The Pistons fought back to win Game 6 in San Antonio, setting up the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 1994.[127] The Pistons then lost a hard-fought, low-scoring game to the Spurs, who won their third NBA championship since 1999.[128]

The Pistons' 2004–05 season was marked by a major controversy, as well as distracting issues involving Larry Brown.[129][130] In the first month of the season, the infamous Malice at the Palace erupted between the Pacers and the Pistons, one of the largest fan-player incidents in the history of American sports.[129] It resulted in heavy fines and suspensions for several players and a great deal of NBA and media scrutiny.[129] Meanwhile, Brown was forced to leave the team on two occasions due to health concerns. During this time, he was the subject of a series of rumors linking him to other job openings.[130] Concerned about Brown's health and angered over his alleged pursuit of other jobs during the season, the Pistons bought out his contract soon after the 2005 NBA Finals.[130][131] Brown was promptly named head coach of the New York Knicks, while the Pistons hired Flip Saunders, formerly of the Minnesota Timberwolves.[132][133]

During the 2005–06 season, the Pistons recorded the NBA's best overall record.[134] Their 37–5 start exceeded the best start for any Detroit sports franchise in history and tied for the fourth-best start through 42 games in NBA history.[135][136] Four of the five Pistons starters (Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace) were named to the All-Star team, and Flip Saunders served as the Eastern Conference All-Star team coach.[137] The Pistons finished the regular season with a record of 64–18, setting new franchise records for both overall and road victories (27).[134][138][139] In addition, the team set an NBA record by starting the same lineup in 73 consecutive games from the start of the season.[134]

 
A game ticket from March 2006 between the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards.

The top-seeded Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 4–1 in the first round of the 2006 NBA playoffs, but struggled in the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, falling behind 3–2 before winning in seven games.[140][141][142] Things did not improve against the second-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami defeated the Pistons in six games en route to the 2006 NBA championship.[143][144]

During the off-season, the Pistons offered Ben Wallace a four-year, $48 million contract, which would have made him the highest-paid player in franchise history at the time. However, Wallace agreed to a 4-year, $60 million contract with the Chicago Bulls.[145]

To replace Ben Wallace, the Pistons signed Nazr Mohammed.[146] He struggled to fill the team's void at center, however, and the team began looking for additional help.[89] On January 16, 2007, the Pistons signed free agent Chris Webber.[147] The Pistons quickly began playing better basketball. They were only 21–15 before Webber was acquired; with him, the team went 32–14.[148][149] On April 11, the Pistons clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, which guaranteed them home-court advantage for first three rounds of the playoffs.[150]

The Pistons opened the 2007 NBA playoffs with a 4–0 victory over the Orlando Magic, their first playoff series sweep since 1990.[151] The team advanced to face the Chicago Bulls, marking the first time that the Central Division rivals had met in the postseason since 1991.[152] After winning the first two games by 26 and 21 points, the Pistons overcame a 19-point deficit to win Game 3, 81–74.[153][154][155] The Bulls avoided elimination by winning Games 4 and 5, but the Pistons closed out the series, 95–85, in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive season.[156][157][158] In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. After both teams split the first four games of the series, the turning point happened in Game 5. The game is best remembered for LeBron James' performance where he scored the Cavaliers' final 29 of 30 points, including the team's final 25 points, to help defeat the Pistons 109–107 in double overtime.[159] The Pistons never recovered as they were eliminated in Game 6, 98–82.[160]

In the 2007 NBA draft, the Pistons selected Rodney Stuckey with the 15th overall pick and Arron Afflalo with the 27th overall pick.[161] They also re-signed Chauncey Billups to a long-term contract, as well as top prospect Amir Johnson and key reserve Antonio McDyess.[162][163][164] This season marked the 50th anniversary of the franchise in Detroit.[165]

At the start of the 2007–08 season, Rasheed Wallace became the Pistons' new center.[166] Upon entering his third season, Saunders became the longest-tenured Pistons coach since Chuck Daly.[167] Detroit finished the season with the second-best record in the league at 59–23.[168] The Boston Celtics held the first seed, and many speculated that Boston was their main competition in the Eastern Conference.[168][169] In the 2008 NBA playoffs, Detroit started out poorly with a Game 1 loss to the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers and found themselves in a 2–1 deficit.[170][171] However, the Pistons rallied to defeat the Sixers in six games.[172]

In the semifinals, the Pistons faced the Orlando Magic. The Pistons rolled out to a Game 1 romp,[173] and won a tight Game 2 amid mild controversy. At the very end of the third quarter, Chauncey Billups hit a three-point field goal that gave the Pistons a three-point lead. However, the clock had stopped shortly into the play. League rules currently prohibit officials from using both instant replay and a timing device to measure how much time has elapsed when a clock malfunctions, nor is a replay from the time of the malfunction onward allowed. The officials estimated that the play took 4.6 seconds, and since there were 5.1 seconds remaining when it began, the field goal was counted. The NBA later admitted that the play actually took 5.7 seconds and the basket should not have counted.[174]

In addition to losing Game 3 badly, 111–86, the Pistons also lost all-star point guard and team leader Chauncey Billups to a hamstring injury.[175] Despite his absence, the Pistons rallied from 15 down in the third quarter to win Game 4 90–89 on a field goal by Tayshaun Prince with just 8.9 seconds to play, taking a 3–1 series lead.[176] Again with Billups sitting on the sideline, they then proceeded to win Game 5 in Detroit, winning the series 4–1.[177]

Detroit advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth straight season, squaring off against the Celtics.[177][178] This put the Pistons second on the all-time list of most consecutive conference finals appearances, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers, who appeared in eight straight conference finals from the 1981–82 to 1988–89 seasons.[179] They lost Game 1 88–79, but won in Game 2 on the road, 103–97, marking the Celtics' first home court loss in the postseason.[180][181] Immediately following that, the Celtics won their first road game of the postseason, 94–80, in Game 3.[182] Game 4 saw the Pistons win 94–75.[183] In the pivotal Game 5 they lost 106–102, despite rallying from 17 points down late in the game.[184] In Game 6, the Pistons entered the fourth quarter leading 70–60, but a lack of focus, a poor game from Rasheed Wallace, and a rally-killing turnover by Tayshaun Prince ultimately led to their demise; the Pistons ended their season with an 89–81 loss. In what would ultimately be a bellwether moment in the franchise's history, Wallace refused to take any post-game questions, simply walking back to the locker room after, aware that Joe Dumars would likely start dismantling the team, saying only "It's over, man."[185] After that, the Celtics went on to win the 2008 NBA Finals.[186] On June 3, 2008, the Pistons announced that Flip Saunders would not return as head coach.[187]

2008–2011: Failed rebuilding edit

 
Ben Wallace in 2009.

On June 10, 2008, the Pistons hired Michael Curry to be their new head coach.[188] On November 3, 2008, the Pistons traded key members Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson.[189][190] McDyess was later waived on November 10 and rejoined the Pistons on December 9.[191][192] The trade was marked as the start of a new rebuilding process due to Iverson's free agent status at the end of the season.[189] Indeed, Joe Dumars previously made it clear that no player on the team was guaranteed a position, bluntly saying they lost their sacred cow status.[193]

The season was marked with many controversies and injuries.[194][195] As a result of this and poor play, the Pistons dropped down the standings, only clinching a playoff berth on April 10, 2009.[196] The Pistons finished the season at 39–43, their first losing season in eight years.[197][198] The Pistons were then swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs.[199] On June 30, 2009, Michael Curry was fired as head coach.[200] Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies during the off-season.[201]

In the off-season, the Pistons reached an agreement with former Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon on a five-year/$55 million contract, as well as an agreement with former Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva on a five-year contract worth $35 million.[202][203] That same month, the Pistons lost their two key members during the last few years, veterans Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess.[204][205] On July 8, 2009, the Pistons hired former Cavaliers assistant coach John Kuester to be the new head coach.[206] The Pistons later re-signed Ben Wallace on August 12, 2009.[207]

Despite these changes, the team regressed even further, as they were hampered by setbacks and injuries.[208][209] On March 23, 2010, the Pistons were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Indiana Pacers.[210] The Pistons finished with a 27–55 record, their worst since 1994.[211] Another 50-loss season, this time finishing at 30–52, led to the firing of Kuester at the end of the 2010–11 season.[212]

2011–2015: New ownership; more struggling edit

On April 7, 2011, Karen Davidson, the widow of the late Bill Davidson, reached a long-awaited agreement to sell the franchise to billionaire Tom Gores, which was approved by the NBA Board of Governors in May. The deal also included The Palace of Auburn Hills and DTE Energy Music Theatre.[213][214][215] According to Crain's Detroit Business, the final sale price was $325 million, far lower than expected.[216] In the 2011 NBA draft, the Pistons selected Brandon Knight, Kyle Singler and Vernon Macklin.[217]

Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, the Pistons made several leadership changes, including appointing Dennis Mannion as president of the franchise and Palace Sports & Entertainment.[218] The team decided to hire Lawrence Frank as the head coach.[219] The 2011–12 season was an improvement from previous years for the Pistons, although they still posted a losing record. While they started the season 4–20, they won half their remaining games to finish a lockout-shortened season with a record of 25–41.[220] The team continued to build its young core with the drafting of the talented center Andre Drummond.[221]

Following the 2012–13 season, Frank was fired as head coach on April 18, 2013, after two losing seasons,[167][222] and on June 10, 2013, the Pistons hired former player and coach Maurice Cheeks.[223] His tenure lasted for just a bit more than half a season, as he was replaced by interim coach John Loyer.[224][225] In April, the Pistons announced that Joe Dumars would step down as president of basketball operations but remain as an advisor to the organization and its ownership team.[226] On May 14, 2014, Stan Van Gundy was hired. Van Gundy signed a 5-year, $35 million contract to become the head coach and president of basketball operations for the team.[227]

After starting the 2014–15 season with a 5–23 record, the Pistons waived Josh Smith, who was acquired in the summer of 2013.[228] The team went on a lengthy winning streak, but finished the season with a record of only 32–50 after Brandon Jennings' Achilles injury.[229][230]

2015–2017: Return to the playoffs edit

In the 2015 off-season, Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy began to change the roster by making such acquisitions as Ersan İlyasova, Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, and Steve Blake.[231][232][233][234] They also drafted rookie Stanley Johnson with the eighth pick in the 2015 NBA draft and re-signed point guard Reggie Jackson.[235][236] The Pistons entered the 2015–16 season with a stronger roster than the previous season, although they lost starter Greg Monroe to the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency.[237] Andre Drummond started the season strong, earning consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards for the weeks of November 1 and 8.[238][239]

The Pistons entered the All-Star break at 27–27.[240] The Pistons surpassed their win totals from the 2009–10 season to the 2014–15 season on March 9, 2016, when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 102–96.[241] On April 6, 2016, following a 108–104 win over the Orlando Magic, the Pistons reached 42 wins and were assured their first winning season since the 2007–08 season.[242] On April 8, 2016, the Pistons defeated the Washington Wizards 112–99 and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2009.[243] The eighth-seeded Pistons faced the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2016 NBA playoffs. They were swept in four games in a highly competitive series.[244][245]

2017–2020: Returning to downtown Detroit edit

 
Opening tip of a Pistons game against the New York Knicks

Beginning with the 1978–79 season, the Pistons played their home games in suburban Oakland County, directly north of Detroit/Wayne County, first playing ten seasons at the Pontiac Silverdome and then playing at The Palace of Auburn Hills starting in the 1988–89 season.[22][246][247] Pistons owner Tom Gores, Palace Sports & Entertainment vice chairman Arn Tellum, and Olympia Entertainment, the Ilitch family's holding company that controls the Red Wings and Tigers, had been in negotiations over a partnership since the summer of 2015, with the Pistons possibly relocating to the new Little Caesars Arena as soon as the 2017–18 season. Talks intensified just as the Pistons were set to open their 2016–17 season, and as part of the terms of the agreement, there was discussion of a possible merger between Olympia and PS&E.[248] Also contingent on a finalized agreement, the Pistons were looking for a parcel of land in the arena's vicinity to build a new practice facility and team headquarters.[248][249] The leasing agreement/partnership needed both city and league approval to be finalized.[250][251]

On November 22, 2016, the Pistons officially announced their intention to move to Little Caesars Arena, and the site of The Palace of Auburn Hills was to be redeveloped and sold, with the arena likely to be demolished as part of the redevelopment.[252] The last remaining NBA franchise to play in a suburban location, the Pistons ended their 39 year stay in Oakland County.[253]

On June 20, 2017, Detroit City Council approved the Pistons' move to Little Caesars Arena.[254] On August 3, 2017, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the move, which made it official.[255][256] The move made Detroit the only U.S. city to have its Major League Baseball (MLB), National Football League (NFL), NBA, and NHL teams playing in its downtown district, and one of only two U.S. cities to have all their teams playing in one place, the other being Philadelphia.[257]

On January 29, 2018, the Pistons announced they had acquired all-star forward Blake Griffin along with Willie Reed and Brice Johnson from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, a 2018 first-round draft pick, and a 2019 second-round draft pick.[258]

The Pistons finished the 2017–18 season with a 39–43 record. They missed the playoffs for the eighth time in ten years.[259] On May 7, 2018, the Pistons announced that Stan Van Gundy would not return as head coach and president of basketball operations.[260] On June 11, 2018, Dwane Casey was hired by the Pistons to be their new head coach, agreeing to a five-year deal.[261] The Pistons finished the 2018–19 season with a 41–41 record, clinching a playoff spot as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.[262] In the first round of the 2019 NBA playoffs, the Pistons were swept in four games by the Milwaukee Bucks, setting an NBA record for the most consecutive playoff losses with 14.[263][264]

On March 11, 2020, the 2019–20 season was suspended by the NBA after it was reported that Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.[265][266] On June 4, 2020, the season came to an end for the Pistons when the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan that would restart the season with 22 teams returning to play in the NBA bubble on July 31, 2020, which was approved by the National Basketball Players Association the next day.[267][268] The Pistons finished the season with a 20–46 record.[269]

2020–present: Continued struggles; historic losing streak edit

 
Cade Cunningham was selected first overall in the 2021 NBA draft.

On June 18, 2020, the Pistons hired Troy Weaver as the new general manager.[270] The Pistons finished the 2020–21 season with the second-worst record in the league at 20–52, missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The 20 wins were also tied for the second-fewest in franchise history at the time.[271][272] In the 2021 NBA draft, the Pistons selected Cade Cunningham with the first overall pick.[273] The Pistons finished the 2021–22 season at 23–59, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season.[274]

With the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, the Pistons selected Jaden Ivey. Later in the first round, the Pistons acquired Jalen Duren via a trade with the New York Knicks.[275] The Pistons finished the 2022–23 season with the worst overall record in NBA and third-worst in franchise history at 17–65.[276] It was their first 60-loss season since 1993–94.[277] After the last game of the season on April 9, 2023, Dwane Casey stepped down as head coach to join the front office.[276] On June 2, 2023, Monty Williams was hired by the Pistons to be their new head coach.[278]

After the Pistons started the 2023–24 season with a 2–1 record, they lost a franchise-record 28 games in a row from October 30 to December 30, the longest single-season losing streak and tied for the longest losing streak overall in NBA history.[279] They became the thirteenth team in NBA history to have a winless month, going 0–15 in November.[280] On March 9, 2024, the Pistons were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth consecutive season.[281] The Pistons finished with the worst overall record in the NBA for the second consecutive season and worst in franchise history at 14–68.[282]

Media coverage edit

Main article: List of Detroit Pistons broadcasters

Radio edit

The Pistons flagship radio station is WXYT-FM.[283][284] There are several affiliate stations throughout Michigan.[283] The regular radio announcers are Mark Champion with play-by-play and Rick Mahorn with color commentary.[283][285]

TV edit

The Pistons' current exclusive local television rights holder is Bally Sports Detroit. The regular TV announcers are George Blaha with play-by-play, Greg Kelser with color commentary, Grant Long or Tim McCormick with studio analysis and Johnny Kane or Natalie Kerwin with sideline reports.[285]

Team identity edit

Logos and uniforms edit

After moving from Fort Wayne, to Detroit in 1957, the Pistons' uniforms remained largely unchanged for two decades, featuring the word "Pistons" in blue block lettering. In the 1978–79 season, the team featured a uniform with lightning bolts on the sides and in the wordmark on the front of the jerseys. The team discontinued the lightning bolt theme and returned to its classic block lettering and simple side panel pattern in 1981, staying with this look until 1996. That year, the Pistons changed their colors to teal, black, yellow and, red and unveiled a new logo with a horse's head and flaming mane. This color scheme lasted until 2001, when the team returned to the traditional red, white, and blue colors and a uniform pattern taking cues from the 1981–96 threads.[286] The horse's head and flaming mane logo lasted until 2005, when the team switched to a more classic logo design.[287]

On May 16, 2017, the Pistons unveiled a new logo, which is a modernized version of the previous "Bad Boys" era logo used from 1979 to 1996.[4][288]

Mascot edit

 
Hooper at Milliken State Park Lighthouse

Hooper is the mascot of the Pistons. He is depicted as a horse wearing a Pistons jersey. The symbolism is, that like the pistons they are named after, the team produces horsepower.[287][289] Hooper became a part of the team on November 1, 1996, replacing Sir Slam A Lot.[290][291]

Though Hooper was introduced during the "teal era" to coincide with the Pistons' new equestrian logo, his popularity as a mascot allowed him to remain a part of the team despite the Pistons returning to their previous colors and basketball logo only a few years later.[287]

Origins of the Bad Boys nickname edit

At the start of the 1987–88 season, Al Davis, owner of the then Los Angeles Raiders, sent Raiders merchandise to the Pistons to acknowledge the shared view of the teams and their physical style of play. Dan Hauser, Pistons Vice-President of Marketing said, "Al sent us Raiders sweaters, and when we played Golden State in Oakland, Al had Raiders warm-ups for us with our names and numbers on them. The rough bad-boy fighting style of the Raiders fits our image. That's why, at our home games at the Palace, you see a sea of black: black caps, black T-shirts, black sweatshirts".[51][292]

The end of season video yearbook produced by the NBA was titled Bad Boys.[51][293] Due to these factors, the name and image was embraced by the players and fans.[51][292][294][295] Pistons guard Joe Dumars said, "You can't be great in this league and have zero identity."[294] Hudson Soft would later develop and publish Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball, a futuristic basketball game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System without rules, without fouls, and weapons are permitted.[296]

The positive view of the team was not universal with Michael Jordan declaring "the Bad Boys are bad for basketball,"[297] later adding "I hated them. And that hate carries even to this day."[298] David Stern, Commissioner of the NBA at the time, said, "If I had it to do over again, we would be more aggressive in regulating, shall we say, that style of play, because it led to our game becoming much more physical."[294]

Jalen Rose, who later starred as a member of the Fab Five at Michigan, embraced the Bad Boys brand as a teenager growing up in Detroit, stating "I loved everything about the Bad Boys. I loved how they played and how they didn't back down. They just went out and kicked the other teams' butts."[51] Pistons announcer George Blaha said, "I think the people of Detroit and all across Michigan loved the Pistons' don't-back-down-ever mentality. Detroit's a working person's town and that's the same type of fan that you have all across the state of Michigan from the big cities to the small towns. Never does a day go by that somebody that I talk to doesn't bring up the Bad Boys; they loved 'em."[295]

Season-by-season record edit

List of the last five seasons completed by the Pistons. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Detroit Pistons seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Season GP W L W–L% Finish Playoffs
2019–20 66 20 46 .303 4th, Central Did not qualify
2020–21 72 20 52 .278 5th, Central Did not qualify
2021–22 82 23 59 .280 5th, Central Did not qualify
2022–23 82 17 65 .207 5th, Central Did not qualify
2023–24 82 14 68 .171 5th, Central Did not qualify

Home arenas edit

 
Little Caesars Arena in 2018

Notes:

Players edit

Main article: Detroit Pistons all-time roster

Current roster edit

Detroit Pistons roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G 27 Boeheim, Buddy (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-11-11 Syracuse
G/F 7 Brown, Troy Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-07-28 Oregon
G 2 Cunningham, Cade   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2001-09-25 Oklahoma State
C 0 Duren, Jalen 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 2003-11-18 Memphis
F 18 Evbuomwan, Tosan (TW) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 2001-02-16 Princeton
G 14 Flynn, Malachi 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-05-09 San Diego State
F 19 Fontecchio, Simone   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1995-12-09 Italy
G/F 31 Fournier, Evan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1992-10-29 France
F/C 67 Gibson, Taj 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 232 lb (105 kg) 1985-06-25 USC
G 24 Grimes, Quentin   6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-05-08 Houston
G 23 Ivey, Jaden 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2002-02-13 Purdue
F/C 5 Metu, Chimezie 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1997-03-22 USC
G 20 Nowell, Jaylen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1999-07-09 Washington
G/F 8 Rhoden, Jared (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-08-27 Seton Hall
G 25 Sasser, Marcus 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-09-21 Houston
F/C 28 Stewart, Isaiah   6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 2001-05-22 Washington
G/F 9 Thompson, Ausar   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2003-01-30 Pine Crest (FL)
G/F 17 Umude, Stanley   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-04-12 Arkansas
C 13 Wiseman, James 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 2001-03-31 Memphis
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (GL) On assignment to G League affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  •   Injured

Roster
Last transaction: April 13, 2024

Retained draft rights edit

The Pistons hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends.[308] This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

Draft Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Current team Note(s) Ref

Retired numbers edit

Detroit Pistons retired numbers and honorees
No. Player Position Tenure Date
1 Chauncey Billups G 2002–2008
2013–2014 1		 February 10, 2016[309]
2 Chuck Daly Head coach 2 1983–1992 January 25, 1997[310]
3 Ben Wallace C 2000–2006
2009–2012 3		 January 16, 2016[311]
4 Joe Dumars G 1985–1999 4 March 10, 2000[310]
10 Dennis Rodman F 1986–1993 5 April 1, 2011[310]
11 Isiah Thomas G 1981–1994 February 17, 1996[310]
15 Vinnie Johnson G 1981–1991 February 5, 1994[310]
16 Bob Lanier C 1970–1980 January 9, 1993[310]
21 Dave Bing G 1966–1975 March 18, 1983[310]
32 Richard Hamilton G/F 2002–2011 February 26, 2017[312]
40 Bill Laimbeer C 1982–1993 February 4, 1995[310]
— Bill Davidson Team owner 1974–2009 6 December 28, 2011[313]
— Jack McCloskey General manager 1979–1992 7 March 29, 2008[314]

Notes:

  • 1 Reggie Jackson wore the number at the time it was retired (2015–2020).[315][316]
  • 2 The number was originally retired in honor of Chuck Daly, who never played in the NBA, as it represented the two NBA championship teams he coached. However, the number was unretired on July 30, 2021 for Cade Cunningham after he received permission to wear it from Daly's daughter.[44][317]
  • 3 Stanley Johnson wore the number at the time it was retired.[315][318]
  • 4 Also team president from 2000 to 2014.[319]
  • 5 Greg Monroe wore the number at the time it was retired (2010–2015).[237][320][321]
  • 6 Banner raised to honor his 35 years with the team.[313]
  • 7 Banner raised to honor his 13 years as the team's general manager.[314]
  • The NBA retired Bill Russell's No. 6 for all its member teams on August 11, 2022.[322][323]

Basketball Hall of Fame members edit

Detroit Pistons Hall of Famers
Players
No. Name Position Tenure Inducted No. Name Position Tenure Inducted
14 Andy Phillip G/F 1952–1956 1961[324] 22 Dave DeBusschere F 1962–1968 1983[325]
17 Bob Houbregs C/F 1954–1958 1987[326] 20 Bobby McDermott G 1941–1946 1988[327]
21 Dave Bing G 1966–1975 1990[328] 11 Harry Gallatin F/C 1957–1958 1991[329]
16 Bob Lanier C 1970–1980 1992[330] 8 Walt Bellamy 1 C 1968–1970 1993[331]
15 Dick McGuire G 1957–1960 1993[332] 26 Buddy Jeannette G 1943–1946 1994[333]
12 George Yardley F/G 1953–1959 1996[334] 18 Bailey Howell F 1959–1964 1997[335]
11 Bob McAdoo F/C 1979–1981 2000[336] 11 Isiah Thomas G 1981–1994 2000[337]
4 Joe Dumars G 1985–1999 2006[338] 45 Adrian Dantley F 1986–1989 2008[339]
10 Dennis Rodman F 1986–1993 2011[340] 24 Nathaniel Clifton C/F 1956–1957 2014[341]
1 Allen Iverson G 2008–2009 2016[342] 1 Tracy McGrady G/F 2010–2011 2017[343]
33 Grant Hill F 1994–2000 2018[344] 6 Chuck Cooper F/G 1956 2019[345]
3
6		 Ben Wallace C 2000–2006
2009–2012		 2021[346] 84 Chris Webber F 2007 2021[347]
1 Chauncey Billups G 2002–2008
2013–2014		 2024[348]
Coaches
Name Position Tenure Inducted Name Position Tenure Inducted
2 Chuck Daly 2 Head coach 1983–1992 1994[349] Larry Brown Head coach 2003–2005 2002[350]
Contributors
Name Position Tenure Inducted Name Position Tenure Inducted
Fred Zollner Founder/Owner 1937–1974 1999[351] 17 Earl Lloyd 3 F 1958–1960 2003[352]
Bill Davidson Owner 1974–2009 2008[353] Dick Vitale 4 Head coach 1978–1979 2008[354]
10 Rod Thorn 5 G 1964–1965 2018[355] Doug Collins 6 Head coach 1995–1998 2024[356]

Notes:

  • 1 In total, Bellamy was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the 1960 Olympic team.[331][357]
  • 2 In total, Daly was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as coach and as a member of the 1992 Olympic team.[349][358]
  • 3 Lloyd was inducted as a contributor as the first African American player and bench coach in the NBA.[352]
  • 4 Vitale was inducted as a contributor for his career as a college basketball broadcaster.[354]
  • 5 Thorn was inducted as a contributor.[355]
  • 6 Collins was inducted as a contributor.[356]

FIBA Hall of Famers edit

Detroit Pistons Hall of Famers
Coaches
No. Name Position Tenure Inducted
2 Chuck Daly 1 Head coach 1983–1992 2021[359]

Notes:

Head coaches edit

Main article: List of Detroit Pistons head coaches

General managers edit

GM Tenure
Carl Bennett 1948–1954[361]
Fred Zollner 1954–1957[361]
Otto Adams 1957[361]
Fred Delano 1957–1958[361]
W. Nicholas Kerbawy 1958–1961[361]
Francis Smith 1961–1964[361]
Don Wattrick 1964–1965[361]
Ed Coil 1965–1975[361]
Oscar Feldman 1975–1977[361]
Bob Kauffman 1977–1978[361]
Bill Davidson 1978–1979[361]
Jack McCloskey 1979–1992[361]
Tom Wilson 1992[361]
Billy McKinney 1992–1995[361]
Doug Collins 1995–1998[361]
Rick Sund 1998–2000[361]
Joe Dumars 2000–2014[361]
Jeff Bower 2014–2018[361]
Ed Stefanski 2018–2020[361]
Troy Weaver 2020–present[362]

Individual records and awards edit

Franchise leaders edit

Bold denotes still active with team.

Italic denotes still active but not with team.

Points scored (regular season) (as of the end of the 2023–24 season)[363][364]

  1. Isiah Thomas (18,822)
  2. Joe Dumars (16,401)
  3. Bob Lanier (15,488)
  4. Dave Bing (15,235)
  5. Bill Laimbeer (12,665)
  6. Richard Hamilton (11,582)
  7. Vinnie Johnson (10,146)
  8. Tayshaun Prince (10,006)
  9. Grant Hill (9,393)
  10. John Long (9,023)
  11. Andre Drummond (8,531)
  12. Bailey Howell (8,182)
  13. Gene Shue (8,034)
  14. Chauncey Billups (7,940)
  15. Kelly Tripucka (7,597)
  16. Jerry Stackhouse (7,451)
  17. Eddie Miles (7,419)
  18. George Yardley (7,339)
  19. Larry Foust (7,124)
  20. Dave DeBusschere (7,096)

Other statistics (regular season) (as of the end of the 2023–24 season)[363]

Most minutes played
Player Minutes
Isiah Thomas 35,516
Joe Dumars 35,139
Bill Laimbeer 30,602
Tayshaun Prince 26,166
Dave Bing 26,052
Bob Lanier 24,640
Richard Hamilton 21,679
Ben Wallace 21,358
Vinnie Johnson 20,218
Lindsey Hunter 18,574
Most rebounds
Player Rebounds
Bill Laimbeer 9,430
Andre Drummond 8,199
Bob Lanier 8,063
Ben Wallace 7,264
Dennis Rodman 6,299
Larry Foust 5,200
Walter Dukes 4,986
Dave DeBusschere 4,947
Bailey Howell 4,583
Ray Scott 4,508
Most assists
Player Assists
Isiah Thomas 9,061
Joe Dumars 4,612
Dave Bing 4,330
Chauncey Billups 2,984
Grant Hill 2,720
Vinnie Johnson 2,661
Richard Hamilton 2,419
Bob Lanier 2,256
Tayshaun Prince 2,074
Lindsey Hunter 2,038
Most steals
Player Steals
Isiah Thomas 1,861
Ben Wallace 931
Joe Dumars 902
Lindsey Hunter 896
Andre Drummond 823
Chris Ford 785
Vinnie Johnson 708
Grant Hill 694
John Long 649
Bill Laimbeer 632
Most three-pointers made
Player 3-pointers made
Joe Dumars 990
Chauncey Billups 890
Lindsey Hunter 793
Rasheed Wallace 581
Tayshaun Prince 510
Terry Mills 495
Saddiq Bey 487
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 479
Reggie Jackson 469
Richard Hamilton 413

Individual awards edit

NBA Finals MVP

NBA Defensive Player of the Year

NBA Rookie of the Year

NBA Sixth Man of the Year

NBA Coach of the Year

NBA Executive of the Year

NBA Sportsmanship Award

J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award

All-NBA First Team

All-NBA Second Team

All-NBA Third Team

NBA All-Defensive First Team

NBA All-Defensive Second Team

NBA All-Rookie First Team

NBA All-Rookie Second Team

NBA All-Star Weekend edit

NBA Eastern All-Star Game head coach

NBA All-Star Game MVP

Rivalries edit

See also: National Basketball Association rivalries

Chicago Bulls edit

Main article: Bulls–Pistons rivalry

Boston Celtics edit

Main article: Celtics–Pistons rivalry

Los Angeles Lakers edit

Main article: Lakers–Pistons rivalry

References edit

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April 26, 2024
detroit, pistons, american, basketball, team, based, detroit, pistons, compete, national, basketball, association, member, central, division, eastern, conference, team, plays, home, games, little, caesars, arena, located, midtown, detroit, team, founded, fort,. The Detroit Pistons are an American basketball team based in Detroit The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association NBA as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference The team plays its home games at Little Caesars Arena located in Midtown Detroit The team was founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons a semi professional company basketball team based in Fort Wayne Indiana in 1937 The club would turn professional in 1941 as a member of the National Basketball League NBL where they won two NBL championships in 1944 and 1945 The Pistons later joined the Basketball Association of America BAA in 1948 The NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949 and the Pistons became part of the merged league 1 8 In 1957 the franchise moved to Detroit The Pistons have won three NBA championships in 1989 1990 and 2004 Detroit Pistons2023 24 Detroit Pistons seasonConferenceEasternDivisionCentralFounded1937HistoryFort Wayne Zollner Pistons1937 1941 semi professional 1941 1948 NBL Fort Wayne Pistons1948 1957 BAA NBA Detroit Pistons1957 present 1 2 3 ArenaLittle Caesars ArenaLocationDetroit MichiganTeam colorsRoyal blue red chrome black white 4 5 6 Main sponsorUnited Wholesale Mortgage 7 PresidentEd StefanskiGeneral managerTroy WeaverHead coachMonty WilliamsOwnershipTom GoresAffiliation s Motor City CruiseChampionships5NBL 2 1944 1945 NBA 3 1989 1990 2004 Conference titles5 1988 1989 1990 2004 2005 Division titles15 NBL 4 1943 1944 1945 1946 NBA 11 1955 1956 1988 1989 1990 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 Retired numbers11 1 2 3 4 10 11 15 16 21 32 40 Websitewww wbr nba wbr com wbr pistonsAssociationIcon Contents 1 Franchise history 1 1 1937 1957 Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 1 2 1957 1981 Decades of struggles 1 3 1981 1994 The Isiah Thomas era 1 3 1 1986 1992 The Bad Boys 1 4 1994 2000 The Grant Hill era 1 5 2000 2008 Goin to Work era 1 5 1 2000 2002 Building a contender 1 5 2 2003 2008 Six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals 1 6 2008 2011 Failed rebuilding 1 7 2011 2015 New ownership more struggling 1 8 2015 2017 Return to the playoffs 1 9 2017 2020 Returning to downtown Detroit 1 10 2020 present Continued struggles historic losing streak 2 Media coverage 2 1 Radio 2 2 TV 3 Team identity 3 1 Logos and uniforms 3 2 Mascot 3 3 Origins of the Bad Boys nickname 4 Season by season record 5 Home arenas 6 Players 6 1 Current roster 6 2 Retained draft rights 6 3 Retired numbers 6 4 Basketball Hall of Fame members 6 5 FIBA Hall of Famers 7 Head coaches 8 General managers 9 Individual records and awards 9 1 Franchise leaders 9 2 Individual awards 9 3 NBA All Star Weekend 10 Rivalries 10 1 Chicago Bulls 10 2 Boston Celtics 10 3 Los Angeles Lakers 11 References 12 External linksFranchise history edit1937 1957 Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons edit Fred Zollner owned the Zollner Corporation a foundry that manufactured pistons primarily for car truck and locomotive engines in Fort Wayne Indiana 9 In 1937 Zollner sponsored a semi professional company basketball team called the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons after he received a request from his workers 10 In 1941 the Zollner Pistons shed their works team roots and joined the National Basketball League NBL 1 The Zollner Pistons were NBL champions in 1944 and 1945 1 They also won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1944 1945 and 1946 11 In 1948 the team became the Fort Wayne Pistons and jumped to the Basketball Association of America BAA 9 In 1949 Fred Zollner brokered the formation of the National Basketball Association from the BAA and the NBL at his kitchen table 9 There are suggestions that Pistons players conspired with gamblers to shave points and throw various games during the 1953 54 and 1954 55 seasons In particular there are accusations that the team may have intentionally lost the 1955 NBA Finals to the Syracuse Nationals 12 In the decisive Game 7 the Pistons led 41 24 early in the second quarter before the Nationals rallied to win the game 13 14 The Nationals won on a free throw by George King with 12 seconds left in the game 13 14 The closing moments included a palming turnover by the Pistons George Yardley with 18 seconds left a foul by Frank Brian with 12 seconds left that enabled King s winning free throw and a turnover by the Pistons Andy Phillip in the final seconds which cost them a chance to attempt the game winning shot 13 14 In the following season the Pistons made it back to the NBA Finals However they were defeated by the Philadelphia Warriors in five games 15 1957 1981 Decades of struggles edit nbsp Dave Bing joined the team in 1966 scoring 1 601 points in his rookie year Though the Pistons enjoyed a solid local following Fort Wayne s small size made it difficult for them to be profitable especially as other early NBA teams based in smaller cities started folding or relocating to larger markets 1 After the 1956 57 season Fred Zollner decided that Fort Wayne was too small to support an NBA team and announced the team would be playing elsewhere in the coming season He ultimately settled on Detroit 1 Although it was the fifth largest city in the United States at the time 16 Detroit had not seen professional basketball in a decade 1 17 18 19 They lost the Detroit Eagles due to World War II both the Detroit Gems of the NBL who became the Minneapolis Lakers and the Detroit Falcons of the BAA in 1947 and the Detroit Vagabond Kings in 1949 1 17 18 19 Zollner decided to keep the Pistons name believing it made sense given Detroit s status as the center of the automobile industry 1 9 George Yardley set the NBA single season scoring record in the Pistons first season in Detroit becoming the first player to score 2 000 points in a season 20 21 The Pistons played in Olympia Stadium home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League NHL at the time for their first four seasons then moved to Cobo Arena beginning in the 1961 62 season 19 22 During the 1960s and 1970s the Pistons were characterized by talented players including George Yardley Bailey Howell Dave Debusschere Dave Bing and Bob Lanier questionable trades and frequent coaching changes 22 23 24 25 26 27 At one point DeBusschere was the youngest player coach in the history of the NBA 25 Then a trade during the 1968 69 season sent DeBusschere to the New York Knicks for Howard Komives and Walt Bellamy both of whom had their best seasons behind them 25 DeBusschere became a key player in leading the Knicks to two NBA titles 25 Howell had previously been dealt to the Baltimore Bullets in 1964 and former Pistons guard Gene Shue who was the head coach of the Bullets at the time assessed the Pistons thusly Detroit has the worst management in the league 28 29 Howell would go to win two championships as a member of the Boston Celtics Yardley Lanier and Bing all ended their Pistons tenure being traded away frustrated with the direction and opportunities with Detroit 30 31 32 In 1974 Zollner sold the team to glass magnate Bill Davidson who remained the team s principal owner until his death in 2009 33 34 The team had a winning season in 1971 having spent the 1960s below 500 and then had a brief period of sustained success in the mid 1970s qualifying for the playoffs in four straight seasons 1974 1975 1976 and 1977 35 36 37 38 Hope was then placed in Dick Vitale in 1978 the former head coach at the University of Detroit but he was fired the following season and the team limped into the 1980s with a 16 66 record in 1979 80 39 The 1979 80 team lost its last 14 games of the season which when coupled with the seven losses at the start of the 1980 81 season constituted a then NBA record losing streak of 21 games 40 Over time Davidson became displeased with Cobo Arena but opted not to follow the Red Wings to the under construction Joe Louis Arena next door Instead in 1978 he moved the team to the suburb of Pontiac where they played in the 82 000 capacity Silverdome a structure built for professional football and the home of the Detroit Lions at the time 22 41 1981 1994 The Isiah Thomas era edit The franchise s fortunes finally began to turn in 1981 when they drafted point guard Isiah Thomas from Indiana University 24 In November 1981 the Pistons acquired Vinnie Johnson in a trade with the Seattle SuperSonics 42 They later acquired center Bill Laimbeer in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in February 1982 43 Another key move by the Pistons was the hiring of head coach Chuck Daly in 1983 44 nbsp Isiah Thomas against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 19 1985 Initially the Pistons had difficulty moving up the NBA ladder In 1984 the Pistons lost a tough five game series to the underdog New York Knicks 3 2 45 In the 1985 playoffs Detroit won its first round series and faced the defending champion Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals Though Boston prevailed in six games Detroit s surprise performance promised that a rivalry had begun 39 In the 1985 NBA draft the team selected Joe Dumars 18th overall a selection that proved to be very wise 46 They also acquired Rick Mahorn in a trade with the Washington Bullets 47 However the team took a step backwards losing in the first round of the 1986 playoffs to the more athletic Atlanta Hawks 48 After the series changes were made in order to make the team more defensive minded 39 1986 1992 The Bad Boys edit Prior to the 1986 87 season the Pistons acquired more key players John Salley drafted 11th overall Dennis Rodman drafted 27th and Adrian Dantley acquired in a trade with the Utah Jazz 49 50 The team adopted a physical defense oriented style of play which eventually earned them the nickname Bad Boys 51 In 1987 the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics After pushing the defending champions to a 2 2 tie the Pistons were on the verge of winning Game 5 at the Boston Garden with seconds remaining 52 53 After a Celtics turnover Isiah Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball and missed Chuck Daly s timeout signal from the bench Larry Bird stole the inbound pass and passed it to Dennis Johnson for the game winning layup 52 53 While the Pistons did win Game 6 in Detroit they lost the series in a tough Game 7 back in Boston 52 53 nbsp Chuck Daly coach of the 1989 and 1990 NBA champions nbsp A ticket for Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals at The Forum Motivated by their loss to the Celtics the Pistons aided by midseason acquisition James Edwards improved to a then franchise record 54 victories and the franchise s first division title in 32 years 39 54 55 In the postseason the Pistons avenged their two previous playoff losses to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals defeating them in six games and advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to Detroit 39 The Pistons first trip to the Finals in 32 years saw them face the Los Angeles Lakers who were led by Magic Johnson James Worthy and Kareem Abdul Jabbar 15 39 After taking a 3 2 series lead back to Los Angeles Detroit appeared poised to win their first NBA title in Game 6 In that game Isiah Thomas scored an NBA Finals record 25 points in the third quarter while playing on a severely sprained ankle 56 However the Lakers won the game 103 102 on a pair of last second free throws by Abdul Jabbar following a controversial foul called on Bill Laimbeer referred to by many as a phantom foul 56 57 With Thomas unable to compete at full strength the Pistons narrowly fell in Game 7 108 105 as the Lakers became the first back to back NBA Champions since the 1969 Boston Celtics 56 58 nbsp Dennis Rodman NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991 Prior to the 1988 89 season the Pistons moved to Auburn Hills to play at The Palace of Auburn Hills the first NBA arena financed entirely with private funds 59 The 1989 Pistons completed the building of their roster by trading Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre a trade that Pistons fans criticized heavily initially but later praised 60 61 62 63 The team won 63 games shattering their one year old franchise record and steamrolled through the playoffs and into an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers This time the Pistons came out victorious in a four game sweep to win their first NBA championship Joe Dumars was named NBA Finals MVP 64 nbsp Isiah Thomas 1990 NBA Finals MVP The Pistons successfully defended their title in 1990 despite losing Rick Mahorn to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the expansion draft 65 66 After winning 59 games and a third straight division title the Pistons cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs before playing a tough Eastern Conference Finals series against Michael Jordan Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls Facing each other for the third straight season the Pistons and Bulls split the first six games before the Pistons finished the series with a decisive 93 74 victory in Game 7 67 68 69 Advancing to their third consecutive NBA Finals the Pistons faced the Portland Trail Blazers 66 After splitting the first two games at The Palace the Pistons went to Portland where they had not won a game since 1974 to play Games 3 4 and 5 70 The Pistons won all three games in Portland becoming the first NBA team to sweep the middle three games on the road 71 The decisive game came down to the final second Trailing 90 83 with two minutes remaining the Pistons rallied to tie the game then took a 92 90 lead when Vinnie Johnson sank a 15 foot jumper with 00 7 seconds left in the game this shot earned Johnson a new nickname in Detroit 007 to go with his original The Microwave 66 72 Isiah Thomas was named NBA Finals MVP 66 The Pistons championship run came to an end in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals as they were swept by the eventual NBA champion Chicago Bulls in four games 73 The most critical injury during this time belonged to Isiah Thomas who had suffered a wrist injury a few months prior to the NBA playoffs 74 The Conference Finals is best remembered for the Pistons walking off the court in the last game just before it ended willingly letting the final seconds tick away unwilling to shake hands with the Bulls After the series Michael Jordan said You see two different styles with us and them The dirty play and the flagrant fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct Hopefully that will be eliminated from the game I think we play clean basketball We don t go out and try to hurt people and dirty up the game You never lose respect for the champions But I haven t agreed with the methods they used I think people are happy the game will get back to a clean game with a Bulls triumph and away from the Bad Boy image 75 76 77 After getting swept by the Bulls the Pistons traded James Edwards and waived Vinnie Johnson during the off season 78 79 In the 1991 92 season the Pistons finished with a 48 34 record 80 81 In the first round of the 1992 NBA playoffs the Pistons were defeated by the New York Knicks in five games 82 Chuck Daly resigned as head coach after the season 83 Following Daly s departure the Pistons went through a transitional period as key players were either traded Salley and Rodman or retired Laimbeer in 1993 and Thomas in 1994 24 84 85 86 They bottomed out in the 1993 94 season finishing with a 20 62 record 80 1994 2000 The Grant Hill era edit nbsp Doug Collins one of five head coaches for the Pistons in an eight year span Following the 1993 94 season they were able to draft Grant Hill a promising small forward with the third overall pick 80 87 However this period also saw the team make numerous questionable personnel decisions such as the loss of free agent Allan Houston to the New York Knicks 88 the signing of free agent washouts Loy Vaught and Bison Dele 89 and head coaching changes from Ron Rothstein to Don Chaney to Doug Collins to Alvin Gentry to George Irvine in an eight year span 80 90 91 92 Of these coaches only Collins had any sort of success with the Pistons winning 54 games in the 1996 97 season 80 The franchise even changed its team colors in 1996 from its traditional red and blue to teal burgundy gold and black in what proved to be a highly unpopular move with fans 92 93 The only color that did not change was white 93 This period has become known often derisively as the teal era 92 2000 2008 Goin to Work era edit 2000 2002 Building a contender edit After being swept by the Miami Heat in the 2000 playoffs Joe Dumars who had retired following the 1998 99 season was hired as the team s president of basketball operations 94 He quickly faced what appeared to be a setback for the franchise as Grant Hill elected to leave for the Orlando Magic 95 However Dumars worked a sign and trade with Orlando that brought the Pistons Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins in exchange for Hill 96 Both quickly entered the Pistons starting lineup Wallace in particular developed into a defensive stalwart in the coming years 92 97 However Hill played only 47 games in the following three seasons due to a recurring ankle injury 92 nbsp Larry Brown coached the Pistons to the 2004 NBA title and the Eastern Conference championship the following season The Pistons suffered through another tough season in 2000 01 going 32 50 despite Jerry Stackhouse averaging 29 8 points a game 98 After the season the Pistons fired George Irvine as head coach and hired Rick Carlisle a widely respected assistant coach who had been a contributor for the Celtics during the mid 1980s 99 The franchise also returned to its traditional red white and blue colors 92 Carlisle helped lead the Pistons to their first 50 win season since 1997 and their first playoff series victory since 1991 by defeating the Toronto Raptors in five games 100 101 They lost however to the Boston Celtics in five games 102 2003 2008 Six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals edit In the 2002 off season Joe Dumars revamped the roster by signing free agent Chauncey Billups acquiring Richard Rip Hamilton from the Washington Wizards and drafting Tayshaun Prince from Kentucky 103 104 105 The Pistons posted consecutive 50 win seasons and advanced to the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1991 106 107 There however they were swept in four games by the New Jersey Nets 108 Despite the team s improvement Rick Carlisle was fired in the 2003 off season There were believed to be five reasons for the firing first that Carlisle had appeared reluctant to play some of the team s younger players such as Prince and Mehmet Okur during the regular season second that some of the players had not gotten along with Carlisle third that Carlisle s offense was thought to be conservative fourth that Hall of Famer Larry Brown had become available and fifth that Carlisle was rumored to have alienated owner Bill Davidson with his personality 109 110 Brown accepted the job that summer 111 nbsp The starting five of the Pistons 2004 championship team Left to right Richard Hamilton Ben Wallace Rasheed Wallace Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince nbsp The Pistons are honored at the White House for the team s victory in the 2004 NBA Finals The Pistons transformation into a championship team was completed with the February 2004 acquisition of Rasheed Wallace 112 The Pistons now had another big man to pose a threat from all parts of the court 113 The Pistons finished the season 54 28 recording their best record since 1997 113 In the 2004 playoffs after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games they defeated the defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets in seven games after coming back from a 3 2 deficit 113 The Pistons then defeated the Pacers coached by Rick Carlisle in six tough games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1990 114 113 115 Many analysts gave the Pistons little chance to win against their opponent the Los Angeles Lakers who had won three out of the previous four NBA championships and who fielded a star studded lineup that included Shaquille O Neal Kobe Bryant Gary Payton and Karl Malone 113 116 However the Pistons won the series in dominating fashion defeating Los Angeles in five games for the team s third NBA championship 113 117 The Pistons posted double digit wins in three of their four victories and held the Lakers to a franchise low 68 points in Game 3 113 118 Chauncey Billups was named NBA Finals MVP 113 117 With the win Bill Davidson became the first owner to win both an NBA and NHL championship in the same calendar year as he had also won the Stanley Cup as owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning 34 Despite losing key members of their bench during the off season including Okur Mike James and Corliss Williamson the Pistons were considered a strong contender to win a second consecutive title in 2005 119 They won 54 games during the regular season their fourth consecutive season of 50 or more wins 120 During the 2005 playoffs they easily defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4 1 and then rallied from a 2 1 deficit to finish off the Indiana Pacers 4 2 121 122 123 In the Eastern Conference Finals the Pistons faced the Miami Heat Once again the Pistons fell behind 124 However they ultimately won the series in seven games 125 In the NBA Finals the Pistons faced the San Antonio Spurs After the teams split the first four games of the series the turning point came at the end of Game 5 in Detroit which went into overtime The Pistons were ahead 95 93 when Robert Horry sank the game winning three point basket for the Spurs with 5 8 seconds left in the extra session 126 The Pistons fought back to win Game 6 in San Antonio setting up the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 1994 127 The Pistons then lost a hard fought low scoring game to the Spurs who won their third NBA championship since 1999 128 The Pistons 2004 05 season was marked by a major controversy as well as distracting issues involving Larry Brown 129 130 In the first month of the season the infamous Malice at the Palace erupted between the Pacers and the Pistons one of the largest fan player incidents in the history of American sports 129 It resulted in heavy fines and suspensions for several players and a great deal of NBA and media scrutiny 129 Meanwhile Brown was forced to leave the team on two occasions due to health concerns During this time he was the subject of a series of rumors linking him to other job openings 130 Concerned about Brown s health and angered over his alleged pursuit of other jobs during the season the Pistons bought out his contract soon after the 2005 NBA Finals 130 131 Brown was promptly named head coach of the New York Knicks while the Pistons hired Flip Saunders formerly of the Minnesota Timberwolves 132 133 During the 2005 06 season the Pistons recorded the NBA s best overall record 134 Their 37 5 start exceeded the best start for any Detroit sports franchise in history and tied for the fourth best start through 42 games in NBA history 135 136 Four of the five Pistons starters Chauncey Billups Richard Hamilton Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace were named to the All Star team and Flip Saunders served as the Eastern Conference All Star team coach 137 The Pistons finished the regular season with a record of 64 18 setting new franchise records for both overall and road victories 27 134 138 139 In addition the team set an NBA record by starting the same lineup in 73 consecutive games from the start of the season 134 nbsp A game ticket from March 2006 between the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards The top seeded Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 4 1 in the first round of the 2006 NBA playoffs but struggled in the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers falling behind 3 2 before winning in seven games 140 141 142 Things did not improve against the second seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals Miami defeated the Pistons in six games en route to the 2006 NBA championship 143 144 During the off season the Pistons offered Ben Wallace a four year 48 million contract which would have made him the highest paid player in franchise history at the time However Wallace agreed to a 4 year 60 million contract with the Chicago Bulls 145 To replace Ben Wallace the Pistons signed Nazr Mohammed 146 He struggled to fill the team s void at center however and the team began looking for additional help 89 On January 16 2007 the Pistons signed free agent Chris Webber 147 The Pistons quickly began playing better basketball They were only 21 15 before Webber was acquired with him the team went 32 14 148 149 On April 11 the Pistons clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference which guaranteed them home court advantage for first three rounds of the playoffs 150 The Pistons opened the 2007 NBA playoffs with a 4 0 victory over the Orlando Magic their first playoff series sweep since 1990 151 The team advanced to face the Chicago Bulls marking the first time that the Central Division rivals had met in the postseason since 1991 152 After winning the first two games by 26 and 21 points the Pistons overcame a 19 point deficit to win Game 3 81 74 153 154 155 The Bulls avoided elimination by winning Games 4 and 5 but the Pistons closed out the series 95 85 in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive season 156 157 158 In the Eastern Conference Finals the Pistons faced the Cleveland Cavaliers After both teams split the first four games of the series the turning point happened in Game 5 The game is best remembered for LeBron James performance where he scored the Cavaliers final 29 of 30 points including the team s final 25 points to help defeat the Pistons 109 107 in double overtime 159 The Pistons never recovered as they were eliminated in Game 6 98 82 160 In the 2007 NBA draft the Pistons selected Rodney Stuckey with the 15th overall pick and Arron Afflalo with the 27th overall pick 161 They also re signed Chauncey Billups to a long term contract as well as top prospect Amir Johnson and key reserve Antonio McDyess 162 163 164 This season marked the 50th anniversary of the franchise in Detroit 165 At the start of the 2007 08 season Rasheed Wallace became the Pistons new center 166 Upon entering his third season Saunders became the longest tenured Pistons coach since Chuck Daly 167 Detroit finished the season with the second best record in the league at 59 23 168 The Boston Celtics held the first seed and many speculated that Boston was their main competition in the Eastern Conference 168 169 In the 2008 NBA playoffs Detroit started out poorly with a Game 1 loss to the seventh seeded Philadelphia 76ers and found themselves in a 2 1 deficit 170 171 However the Pistons rallied to defeat the Sixers in six games 172 In the semifinals the Pistons faced the Orlando Magic The Pistons rolled out to a Game 1 romp 173 and won a tight Game 2 amid mild controversy At the very end of the third quarter Chauncey Billups hit a three point field goal that gave the Pistons a three point lead However the clock had stopped shortly into the play League rules currently prohibit officials from using both instant replay and a timing device to measure how much time has elapsed when a clock malfunctions nor is a replay from the time of the malfunction onward allowed The officials estimated that the play took 4 6 seconds and since there were 5 1 seconds remaining when it began the field goal was counted The NBA later admitted that the play actually took 5 7 seconds and the basket should not have counted 174 In addition to losing Game 3 badly 111 86 the Pistons also lost all star point guard and team leader Chauncey Billups to a hamstring injury 175 Despite his absence the Pistons rallied from 15 down in the third quarter to win Game 4 90 89 on a field goal by Tayshaun Prince with just 8 9 seconds to play taking a 3 1 series lead 176 Again with Billups sitting on the sideline they then proceeded to win Game 5 in Detroit winning the series 4 1 177 Detroit advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth straight season squaring off against the Celtics 177 178 This put the Pistons second on the all time list of most consecutive conference finals appearances behind only the Los Angeles Lakers who appeared in eight straight conference finals from the 1981 82 to 1988 89 seasons 179 They lost Game 1 88 79 but won in Game 2 on the road 103 97 marking the Celtics first home court loss in the postseason 180 181 Immediately following that the Celtics won their first road game of the postseason 94 80 in Game 3 182 Game 4 saw the Pistons win 94 75 183 In the pivotal Game 5 they lost 106 102 despite rallying from 17 points down late in the game 184 In Game 6 the Pistons entered the fourth quarter leading 70 60 but a lack of focus a poor game from Rasheed Wallace and a rally killing turnover by Tayshaun Prince ultimately led to their demise the Pistons ended their season with an 89 81 loss In what would ultimately be a bellwether moment in the franchise s history Wallace refused to take any post game questions simply walking back to the locker room after aware that Joe Dumars would likely start dismantling the team saying only It s over man 185 After that the Celtics went on to win the 2008 NBA Finals 186 On June 3 2008 the Pistons announced that Flip Saunders would not return as head coach 187 2008 2011 Failed rebuilding edit nbsp Ben Wallace in 2009 On June 10 2008 the Pistons hired Michael Curry to be their new head coach 188 On November 3 2008 the Pistons traded key members Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson 189 190 McDyess was later waived on November 10 and rejoined the Pistons on December 9 191 192 The trade was marked as the start of a new rebuilding process due to Iverson s free agent status at the end of the season 189 Indeed Joe Dumars previously made it clear that no player on the team was guaranteed a position bluntly saying they lost their sacred cow status 193 The season was marked with many controversies and injuries 194 195 As a result of this and poor play the Pistons dropped down the standings only clinching a playoff berth on April 10 2009 196 The Pistons finished the season at 39 43 their first losing season in eight years 197 198 The Pistons were then swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs 199 On June 30 2009 Michael Curry was fired as head coach 200 Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies during the off season 201 In the off season the Pistons reached an agreement with former Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon on a five year 55 million contract as well as an agreement with former Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva on a five year contract worth 35 million 202 203 That same month the Pistons lost their two key members during the last few years veterans Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess 204 205 On July 8 2009 the Pistons hired former Cavaliers assistant coach John Kuester to be the new head coach 206 The Pistons later re signed Ben Wallace on August 12 2009 207 Despite these changes the team regressed even further as they were hampered by setbacks and injuries 208 209 On March 23 2010 the Pistons were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Indiana Pacers 210 The Pistons finished with a 27 55 record their worst since 1994 211 Another 50 loss season this time finishing at 30 52 led to the firing of Kuester at the end of the 2010 11 season 212 2011 2015 New ownership more struggling edit On April 7 2011 Karen Davidson the widow of the late Bill Davidson reached a long awaited agreement to sell the franchise to billionaire Tom Gores which was approved by the NBA Board of Governors in May The deal also included The Palace of Auburn Hills and DTE Energy Music Theatre 213 214 215 According to Crain s Detroit Business the final sale price was 325 million far lower than expected 216 In the 2011 NBA draft the Pistons selected Brandon Knight Kyle Singler and Vernon Macklin 217 Prior to the start of the 2011 12 season the Pistons made several leadership changes including appointing Dennis Mannion as president of the franchise and Palace Sports amp Entertainment 218 The team decided to hire Lawrence Frank as the head coach 219 The 2011 12 season was an improvement from previous years for the Pistons although they still posted a losing record While they started the season 4 20 they won half their remaining games to finish a lockout shortened season with a record of 25 41 220 The team continued to build its young core with the drafting of the talented center Andre Drummond 221 Following the 2012 13 season Frank was fired as head coach on April 18 2013 after two losing seasons 167 222 and on June 10 2013 the Pistons hired former player and coach Maurice Cheeks 223 His tenure lasted for just a bit more than half a season as he was replaced by interim coach John Loyer 224 225 In April the Pistons announced that Joe Dumars would step down as president of basketball operations but remain as an advisor to the organization and its ownership team 226 On May 14 2014 Stan Van Gundy was hired Van Gundy signed a 5 year 35 million contract to become the head coach and president of basketball operations for the team 227 After starting the 2014 15 season with a 5 23 record the Pistons waived Josh Smith who was acquired in the summer of 2013 228 The team went on a lengthy winning streak but finished the season with a record of only 32 50 after Brandon Jennings Achilles injury 229 230 2015 2017 Return to the playoffs edit In the 2015 off season Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy began to change the roster by making such acquisitions as Ersan Ilyasova Marcus Morris Aron Baynes and Steve Blake 231 232 233 234 They also drafted rookie Stanley Johnson with the eighth pick in the 2015 NBA draft and re signed point guard Reggie Jackson 235 236 The Pistons entered the 2015 16 season with a stronger roster than the previous season although they lost starter Greg Monroe to the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency 237 Andre Drummond started the season strong earning consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards for the weeks of November 1 and 8 238 239 The Pistons entered the All Star break at 27 27 240 The Pistons surpassed their win totals from the 2009 10 season to the 2014 15 season on March 9 2016 when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 102 96 241 On April 6 2016 following a 108 104 win over the Orlando Magic the Pistons reached 42 wins and were assured their first winning season since the 2007 08 season 242 On April 8 2016 the Pistons defeated the Washington Wizards 112 99 and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2009 243 The eighth seeded Pistons faced the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2016 NBA playoffs They were swept in four games in a highly competitive series 244 245 2017 2020 Returning to downtown Detroit edit nbsp Opening tip of a Pistons game against the New York Knicks Beginning with the 1978 79 season the Pistons played their home games in suburban Oakland County directly north of Detroit Wayne County first playing ten seasons at the Pontiac Silverdome and then playing at The Palace of Auburn Hills starting in the 1988 89 season 22 246 247 Pistons owner Tom Gores Palace Sports amp Entertainment vice chairman Arn Tellum and Olympia Entertainment the Ilitch family s holding company that controls the Red Wings and Tigers had been in negotiations over a partnership since the summer of 2015 with the Pistons possibly relocating to the new Little Caesars Arena as soon as the 2017 18 season Talks intensified just as the Pistons were set to open their 2016 17 season and as part of the terms of the agreement there was discussion of a possible merger between Olympia and PS amp E 248 Also contingent on a finalized agreement the Pistons were looking for a parcel of land in the arena s vicinity to build a new practice facility and team headquarters 248 249 The leasing agreement partnership needed both city and league approval to be finalized 250 251 On November 22 2016 the Pistons officially announced their intention to move to Little Caesars Arena and the site of The Palace of Auburn Hills was to be redeveloped and sold with the arena likely to be demolished as part of the redevelopment 252 The last remaining NBA franchise to play in a suburban location the Pistons ended their 39 year stay in Oakland County 253 On June 20 2017 Detroit City Council approved the Pistons move to Little Caesars Arena 254 On August 3 2017 the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the move which made it official 255 256 The move made Detroit the only U S city to have its Major League Baseball MLB National Football League NFL NBA and NHL teams playing in its downtown district and one of only two U S cities to have all their teams playing in one place the other being Philadelphia 257 On January 29 2018 the Pistons announced they had acquired all star forward Blake Griffin along with Willie Reed and Brice Johnson from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Avery Bradley Tobias Harris Boban Marjanovic a 2018 first round draft pick and a 2019 second round draft pick 258 The Pistons finished the 2017 18 season with a 39 43 record They missed the playoffs for the eighth time in ten years 259 On May 7 2018 the Pistons announced that Stan Van Gundy would not return as head coach and president of basketball operations 260 On June 11 2018 Dwane Casey was hired by the Pistons to be their new head coach agreeing to a five year deal 261 The Pistons finished the 2018 19 season with a 41 41 record clinching a playoff spot as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference 262 In the first round of the 2019 NBA playoffs the Pistons were swept in four games by the Milwaukee Bucks setting an NBA record for the most consecutive playoff losses with 14 263 264 On March 11 2020 the 2019 20 season was suspended by the NBA after it was reported that Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID 19 265 266 On June 4 2020 the season came to an end for the Pistons when the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan that would restart the season with 22 teams returning to play in the NBA bubble on July 31 2020 which was approved by the National Basketball Players Association the next day 267 268 The Pistons finished the season with a 20 46 record 269 2020 present Continued struggles historic losing streak edit nbsp Cade Cunningham was selected first overall in the 2021 NBA draft On June 18 2020 the Pistons hired Troy Weaver as the new general manager 270 The Pistons finished the 2020 21 season with the second worst record in the league at 20 52 missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season The 20 wins were also tied for the second fewest in franchise history at the time 271 272 In the 2021 NBA draft the Pistons selected Cade Cunningham with the first overall pick 273 The Pistons finished the 2021 22 season at 23 59 missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season 274 With the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft the Pistons selected Jaden Ivey Later in the first round the Pistons acquired Jalen Duren via a trade with the New York Knicks 275 The Pistons finished the 2022 23 season with the worst overall record in NBA and third worst in franchise history at 17 65 276 It was their first 60 loss season since 1993 94 277 After the last game of the season on April 9 2023 Dwane Casey stepped down as head coach to join the front office 276 On June 2 2023 Monty Williams was hired by the Pistons to be their new head coach 278 After the Pistons started the 2023 24 season with a 2 1 record they lost a franchise record 28 games in a row from October 30 to December 30 the longest single season losing streak and tied for the longest losing streak overall in NBA history 279 They became the thirteenth team in NBA history to have a winless month going 0 15 in November 280 On March 9 2024 the Pistons were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth consecutive season 281 The Pistons finished with the worst overall record in the NBA for the second consecutive season and worst in franchise history at 14 68 282 Media coverage editMain article List of Detroit Pistons broadcasters Radio edit The Pistons flagship radio station is WXYT FM 283 284 There are several affiliate stations throughout Michigan 283 The regular radio announcers are Mark Champion with play by play and Rick Mahorn with color commentary 283 285 TV edit The Pistons current exclusive local television rights holder is Bally Sports Detroit The regular TV announcers are George Blaha with play by play Greg Kelser with color commentary Grant Long or Tim McCormick with studio analysis and Johnny Kane or Natalie Kerwin with sideline reports 285 Team identity editLogos and uniforms edit After moving from Fort Wayne to Detroit in 1957 the Pistons uniforms remained largely unchanged for two decades featuring the word Pistons in blue block lettering In the 1978 79 season the team featured a uniform with lightning bolts on the sides and in the wordmark on the front of the jerseys The team discontinued the lightning bolt theme and returned to its classic block lettering and simple side panel pattern in 1981 staying with this look until 1996 That year the Pistons changed their colors to teal black yellow and red and unveiled a new logo with a horse s head and flaming mane This color scheme lasted until 2001 when the team returned to the traditional red white and blue colors and a uniform pattern taking cues from the 1981 96 threads 286 The horse s head and flaming mane logo lasted until 2005 when the team switched to a more classic logo design 287 On May 16 2017 the Pistons unveiled a new logo which is a modernized version of the previous Bad Boys era logo used from 1979 to 1996 4 288 Mascot edit nbsp Hooper at Milliken State Park Lighthouse Hooper is the mascot of the Pistons He is depicted as a horse wearing a Pistons jersey The symbolism is that like the pistons they are named after the team produces horsepower 287 289 Hooper became a part of the team on November 1 1996 replacing Sir Slam A Lot 290 291 Though Hooper was introduced during the teal era to coincide with the Pistons new equestrian logo his popularity as a mascot allowed him to remain a part of the team despite the Pistons returning to their previous colors and basketball logo only a few years later 287 Origins of the Bad Boys nickname edit At the start of the 1987 88 season Al Davis owner of the then Los Angeles Raiders sent Raiders merchandise to the Pistons to acknowledge the shared view of the teams and their physical style of play Dan Hauser Pistons Vice President of Marketing said Al sent us Raiders sweaters and when we played Golden State in Oakland Al had Raiders warm ups for us with our names and numbers on them The rough bad boy fighting style of the Raiders fits our image That s why at our home games at the Palace you see a sea of black black caps black T shirts black sweatshirts 51 292 The end of season video yearbook produced by the NBA was titled Bad Boys 51 293 Due to these factors the name and image was embraced by the players and fans 51 292 294 295 Pistons guard Joe Dumars said You can t be great in this league and have zero identity 294 Hudson Soft would later develop and publish Bill Laimbeer s Combat Basketball a futuristic basketball game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System without rules without fouls and weapons are permitted 296 The positive view of the team was not universal with Michael Jordan declaring the Bad Boys are bad for basketball 297 later adding I hated them And that hate carries even to this day 298 David Stern Commissioner of the NBA at the time said If I had it to do over again we would be more aggressive in regulating shall we say that style of play because it led to our game becoming much more physical 294 Jalen Rose who later starred as a member of the Fab Five at Michigan embraced the Bad Boys brand as a teenager growing up in Detroit stating I loved everything about the Bad Boys I loved how they played and how they didn t back down They just went out and kicked the other teams butts 51 Pistons announcer George Blaha said I think the people of Detroit and all across Michigan loved the Pistons don t back down ever mentality Detroit s a working person s town and that s the same type of fan that you have all across the state of Michigan from the big cities to the small towns Never does a day go by that somebody that I talk to doesn t bring up the Bad Boys they loved em 295 Season by season record editList of the last five seasons completed by the Pistons For the full season by season history see List of Detroit Pistons seasons Note GP Games played W Wins L Losses W L Winning percentage Season GP W L W L Finish Playoffs 2019 20 66 20 46 303 4th Central Did not qualify 2020 21 72 20 52 278 5th Central Did not qualify 2021 22 82 23 59 280 5th Central Did not qualify 2022 23 82 17 65 207 5th Central Did not qualify 2023 24 82 14 68 171 5th Central Did not qualifyHome arenas edit nbsp Little Caesars Arena in 2018 North Side High School Gym 1948 1952 299 300 301 302 Allen County War Memorial Coliseum 1952 1957 303 Olympia Stadium 1957 1961 24 Memorial Building University of Detroit 1957 1961 used as an alternate when Olympia Stadium was occupied 304 305 Cobo Arena 1961 1978 22 Pontiac Silverdome 1978 1988 22 The Palace of Auburn Hills 1988 2017 246 247 Little Caesars Arena 2017 present 252 Notes On March 12 1960 the Pistons hosted a playoff game against the Minneapolis Lakers at Grosse Pointe High School when no other facility including Olympia Stadium which was booked for Ice Capades and the University of Detroit was available 304 On April 27 1984 the Pistons played game 5 of their playoff series against the New York Knicks at Joe Louis Arena due to a scheduling conflict 45 During the 1984 85 season the Silverdome s roof collapsed causing the team to temporarily relocate to the Joe Louis Arena for 14 of their remaining 15 home games of the season March 6 through May 10 59 306 The March 11 game was played at Cobo Arena 307 Players editMain article Detroit Pistons all time roster Current roster edit Detroit Pistons rostervte Players Coaches Pos No Name Height Weight DOB From G 27 Boeheim Buddy TW 6 ft 5 in 1 96 m 205 lb 93 kg 1999 11 11 Syracuse G F 7 Brown Troy Jr 6 ft 7 in 2 01 m 215 lb 98 kg 1999 07 28 Oregon G 2 Cunningham Cade nbsp 6 ft 6 in 1 98 m 220 lb 100 kg 2001 09 25 Oklahoma State C 0 Duren Jalen 6 ft 10 in 2 08 m 250 lb 113 kg 2003 11 18 Memphis F 18 Evbuomwan Tosan TW 6 ft 7 in 2 01 m 217 lb 98 kg 2001 02 16 Princeton G 14 Flynn Malachi 6 ft 1 in 1 85 m 185 lb 84 kg 1998 05 09 San Diego State F 19 Fontecchio Simone nbsp 6 ft 7 in 2 01 m 209 lb 95 kg 1995 12 09 Italy G F 31 Fournier Evan 6 ft 6 in 1 98 m 205 lb 93 kg 1992 10 29 France F C 67 Gibson Taj 6 ft 9 in 2 06 m 232 lb 105 kg 1985 06 25 USC G 24 Grimes Quentin nbsp 6 ft 5 in 1 96 m 210 lb 95 kg 2000 05 08 Houston G 23 Ivey Jaden 6 ft 4 in 1 93 m 195 lb 88 kg 2002 02 13 Purdue F C 5 Metu Chimezie 6 ft 10 in 2 08 m 225 lb 102 kg 1997 03 22 USC G 20 Nowell Jaylen 6 ft 4 in 1 93 m 201 lb 91 kg 1999 07 09 Washington G F 8 Rhoden Jared TW 6 ft 5 in 1 96 m 210 lb 95 kg 1999 08 27 Seton Hall G 25 Sasser Marcus 6 ft 2 in 1 88 m 195 lb 88 kg 2000 09 21 Houston F C 28 Stewart Isaiah nbsp 6 ft 8 in 2 03 m 250 lb 113 kg 2001 05 22 Washington G F 9 Thompson Ausar nbsp 6 ft 6 in 1 98 m 205 lb 93 kg 2003 01 30 Pine Crest FL G F 17 Umude Stanley nbsp 6 ft 6 in 1 98 m 210 lb 95 kg 1999 04 12 Arkansas C 13 Wiseman James 6 ft 11 in 2 11 m 240 lb 109 kg 2001 03 31 Memphis Head coach Monty Williams Assistant coach es Brian Adams Mark Bryant Dan Burke Jarrett Jack Brian Randle Spencer Rivers Steve Scalzi Stephen Silas Legend C Team captain DP Unsigned draft pick FA Free agent S Suspended GL On assignment to G League affiliate TW Two way affiliate player nbsp Injured Roster Last transaction April 13 2024 Retained draft rights edit The Pistons hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA A drafted player either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him is allowed to sign with any non NBA teams In this case the team retains the player s draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player s contract with the non NBA team ends 308 This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams Draft Round Pick Player Pos Nationality Current team Note s Ref Retired numbers edit Detroit Pistons retired numbers and honorees No Player Position Tenure Date 1 Chauncey Billups G 2002 20082013 2014 1 February 10 2016 309 2 Chuck Daly Head coach 2 1983 1992 January 25 1997 310 3 Ben Wallace C 2000 20062009 2012 3 January 16 2016 311 4 Joe Dumars G 1985 1999 4 March 10 2000 310 10 Dennis Rodman F 1986 1993 5 April 1 2011 310 11 Isiah Thomas G 1981 1994 February 17 1996 310 15 Vinnie Johnson G 1981 1991 February 5 1994 310 16 Bob Lanier C 1970 1980 January 9 1993 310 21 Dave Bing G 1966 1975 March 18 1983 310 32 Richard Hamilton G F 2002 2011 February 26 2017 312 40 Bill Laimbeer C 1982 1993 February 4 1995 310 Bill Davidson Team owner 1974 2009 6 December 28 2011 313 Jack McCloskey General manager 1979 1992 7 March 29 2008 314 Notes 1 Reggie Jackson wore the number at the time it was retired 2015 2020 315 316 2 The number was originally retired in honor of Chuck Daly who never played in the NBA as it represented the two NBA championship teams he coached However the number was unretired on July 30 2021 for Cade Cunningham after he received permission to wear it from Daly s daughter 44 317 3 Stanley Johnson wore the number at the time it was retired 315 318 4 Also team president from 2000 to 2014 319 5 Greg Monroe wore the number at the time it was retired 2010 2015 237 320 321 6 Banner raised to honor his 35 years with the team 313 7 Banner raised to honor his 13 years as the team s general manager 314 The NBA retired Bill Russell s No 6 for all its member teams on August 11 2022 322 323 Basketball Hall of Fame members edit Detroit Pistons Hall of Famers Players No Name Position Tenure Inducted No Name Position Tenure Inducted 14 Andy Phillip G F 1952 1956 1961 324 22 Dave DeBusschere F 1962 1968 1983 325 17 Bob Houbregs C F 1954 1958 1987 326 20 Bobby McDermott G 1941 1946 1988 327 21 Dave Bing G 1966 1975 1990 328 11 Harry Gallatin F C 1957 1958 1991 329 16 Bob Lanier C 1970 1980 1992 330 8 Walt Bellamy 1 C 1968 1970 1993 331 15 Dick McGuire G 1957 1960 1993 332 26 Buddy Jeannette G 1943 1946 1994 333 12 George Yardley F G 1953 1959 1996 334 18 Bailey Howell F 1959 1964 1997 335 11 Bob McAdoo F C 1979 1981 2000 336 11 Isiah Thomas G 1981 1994 2000 337 4 Joe Dumars G 1985 1999 2006 338 45 Adrian Dantley F 1986 1989 2008 339 10 Dennis Rodman F 1986 1993 2011 340 24 Nathaniel Clifton C F 1956 1957 2014 341 1 Allen Iverson G 2008 2009 2016 342 1 Tracy McGrady G F 2010 2011 2017 343 33 Grant Hill F 1994 2000 2018 344 6 Chuck Cooper F G 1956 2019 345 36 Ben Wallace C 2000 20062009 2012 2021 346 84 Chris Webber F 2007 2021 347 1 Chauncey Billups G 2002 20082013 2014 2024 348 Coaches Name Position Tenure Inducted Name Position Tenure Inducted 2 Chuck Daly 2 Head coach 1983 1992 1994 349 Larry Brown Head coach 2003 2005 2002 350 Contributors Name Position Tenure Inducted Name Position Tenure Inducted Fred Zollner Founder Owner 1937 1974 1999 351 17 Earl Lloyd 3 F 1958 1960 2003 352 Bill Davidson Owner 1974 2009 2008 353 Dick Vitale 4 Head coach 1978 1979 2008 354 10 Rod Thorn 5 G 1964 1965 2018 355 Doug Collins 6 Head coach 1995 1998 2024 356 Notes 1 In total Bellamy was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice as player and as a member of the 1960 Olympic team 331 357 2 In total Daly was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice as coach and as a member of the 1992 Olympic team 349 358 3 Lloyd was inducted as a contributor as the first African American player and bench coach in the NBA 352 4 Vitale was inducted as a contributor for his career as a college basketball broadcaster 354 5 Thorn was inducted as a contributor 355 6 Collins was inducted as a contributor 356 FIBA Hall of Famers edit Detroit Pistons Hall of Famers Coaches No Name Position Tenure Inducted 2 Chuck Daly 1 Head coach 1983 1992 2021 359 Notes 1 In total Daly was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame twice as coach and as a member of the 1992 Olympic team 359 360 Head coaches editMain article List of Detroit Pistons head coachesGeneral managers editGM Tenure Carl Bennett 1948 1954 361 Fred Zollner 1954 1957 361 Otto Adams 1957 361 Fred Delano 1957 1958 361 W Nicholas Kerbawy 1958 1961 361 Francis Smith 1961 1964 361 Don Wattrick 1964 1965 361 Ed Coil 1965 1975 361 Oscar Feldman 1975 1977 361 Bob Kauffman 1977 1978 361 Bill Davidson 1978 1979 361 Jack McCloskey 1979 1992 361 Tom Wilson 1992 361 Billy McKinney 1992 1995 361 Doug Collins 1995 1998 361 Rick Sund 1998 2000 361 Joe Dumars 2000 2014 361 Jeff Bower 2014 2018 361 Ed Stefanski 2018 2020 361 Troy Weaver 2020 present 362 Individual records and awards editFranchise leaders edit Bold denotes still active with team Italic denotes still active but not with team Points scored regular season as of the end of the 2023 24 season 363 364 Isiah Thomas 18 822 Joe Dumars 16 401 Bob Lanier 15 488 Dave Bing 15 235 Bill Laimbeer 12 665 Richard Hamilton 11 582 Vinnie Johnson 10 146 Tayshaun Prince 10 006 Grant Hill 9 393 John Long 9 023 Andre Drummond 8 531 Bailey Howell 8 182 Gene Shue 8 034 Chauncey Billups 7 940 Kelly Tripucka 7 597 Jerry Stackhouse 7 451 Eddie Miles 7 419 George Yardley 7 339 Larry Foust 7 124 Dave DeBusschere 7 096 Other statistics regular season as of the end of the 2023 24 season 363 Most minutes played Player Minutes Isiah Thomas 35 516 Joe Dumars 35 139 Bill Laimbeer 30 602 Tayshaun Prince 26 166 Dave Bing 26 052 Bob Lanier 24 640 Richard Hamilton 21 679 Ben Wallace 21 358 Vinnie Johnson 20 218 Lindsey Hunter 18 574Most rebounds Player Rebounds Bill Laimbeer 9 430 Andre Drummond 8 199 Bob Lanier 8 063 Ben Wallace 7 264 Dennis Rodman 6 299 Larry Foust 5 200 Walter Dukes 4 986 Dave DeBusschere 4 947 Bailey Howell 4 583 Ray Scott 4 508Most assists Player Assists Isiah Thomas 9 061 Joe Dumars 4 612 Dave Bing 4 330 Chauncey Billups 2 984 Grant Hill 2 720 Vinnie Johnson 2 661 Richard Hamilton 2 419 Bob Lanier 2 256 Tayshaun Prince 2 074 Lindsey Hunter 2 038 Most steals Player Steals Isiah Thomas 1 861 Ben Wallace 931 Joe Dumars 902 Lindsey Hunter 896 Andre Drummond 823 Chris Ford 785 Vinnie Johnson 708 Grant Hill 694 John Long 649 Bill Laimbeer 632Most blocks Player Blocks Ben Wallace 1 486 Terry Tyler 1 070 Andre Drummond 927 Bob Lanier 859 Bill Laimbeer 857 John Salley 709 Rasheed Wallace 623 Tayshaun Prince 448 Jason Maxiell 426 Dennis Rodman 399Most three pointers made Player 3 pointers made Joe Dumars 990 Chauncey Billups 890 Lindsey Hunter 793 Rasheed Wallace 581 Tayshaun Prince 510 Terry Mills 495 Saddiq Bey 487 Kentavious Caldwell Pope 479 Reggie Jackson 469 Richard Hamilton 413 Individual awards edit NBA Finals MVP Joe Dumars 1989 64 Isiah Thomas 1990 66 Chauncey Billups 2004 113 117 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dennis Rodman 1990 1991 365 Ben Wallace 2002 2003 2005 2006 365 NBA Rookie of the Year Don Meineke 1953 366 Dave Bing 1967 366 Grant Hill 1995 366 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Corliss Williamson 2002 367 NBA Coach of the Year Ray Scott 1974 368 Rick Carlisle 2002 368 NBA Executive of the Year Joe Dumars 2003 369 NBA Sportsmanship Award Joe Dumars 1996 370 J Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award Bob Lanier 1978 371 Kent Benson 1982 371 Isiah Thomas 1987 371 Joe Dumars 1994 371 Chauncey Billups 2008 371 All NBA First Team Larry Foust 1955 372 George Yardley 1958 372 Gene Shue 1960 372 Dave Bing 1968 1971 372 Isiah Thomas 1984 1986 372 Grant Hill 1997 372 All NBA Second Team Fred Schaus 1950 372 Larry Foust 1952 372 George Yardley 1957 372 Gene Shue 1961 372 Bailey Howell 1963 372 Dave DeBusschere 1969 372 Dave Bing 1974 372 Isiah Thomas 1983 1987 372 Joe Dumars 1993 372 Grant Hill 1996 1998 2000 372 Ben Wallace 2003 2004 2006 372 Chauncey Billups 2006 372 All NBA Third Team Joe Dumars 1990 1991 372 Dennis Rodman 1992 372 Ben Wallace 2002 2005 372 Chauncey Billups 2007 372 Andre Drummond 2016 372 Blake Griffin 2019 372 NBA All Defensive First Team Joe Dumars 1989 1990 1992 1993 373 Dennis Rodman 1989 1993 373 Ben Wallace 2002 2006 373 NBA All Defensive Second Team M L Carr 1979 373 Joe Dumars 1991 373 Clifford Robinson 2002 373 Chauncey Billups 2005 2006 373 Tayshaun Prince 2005 2008 373 NBA All Rookie First Team Dave DeBusschere 1963 374 Joe Caldwell 1965 374 Tom Van Arsdale 1966 374 Dave Bing 1967 374 Bob Lanier 1971 374 Terry Tyler 1979 374 Isiah Thomas 1982 374 Kelly Tripucka 1982 374 Joe Dumars 1986 374 Grant Hill 1995 374 Brandon Knight 2012 374 Saddiq Bey 2021 375 Cade Cunningham 2022 376 NBA All Rookie Second Team Lindsey Hunter 1994 374 Zeljko Rebraca 2002 374 Rodney Stuckey 2008 374 Jonas Jerebko 2010 374 Greg Monroe 2011 374 Andre Drummond 2013 374 Kyle Singler 2013 374 Isaiah Stewart 2021 375 Jalen Duren 2023 374 Jaden Ivey 2023 374 NBA All Star Weekend edit NBA Eastern All Star Game head coach Chuck Daly 1990 377 Doug Collins 1997 377 Flip Saunders 2006 137 377 NBA All Star Game MVP Bob Lanier 1974 378 Isiah Thomas 1984 1986 378 Rivalries editSee also National Basketball Association rivalries Chicago Bulls edit Main article Bulls Pistons rivalry Boston Celtics edit Main article Celtics Pistons rivalry Los Angeles Lakers edit Main article Lakers Pistons rivalryReferences edit a b c d e f g h i Pretzer Ryan October 16 2007 Farewell Fort Wayne Pistons com NBA Media Ventures LLC Archived from the original on April 15 2022 Retrieved May 12 2022 History Team by Team PDF 2019 20 Official NBA Guide PDF NBA Properties Inc Archived PDF from the original on October 26 2019 Retrieved May 12 2022 NBA com Stats Detroit Pistons Stats 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