The Detroit Pistons are an American professional 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. Founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as a semi-professional company basketball team called the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in 1937, they would turn pro 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. In 1957, the franchise moved to Detroit. The Pistons have won three NBA championships: in 1989, 1990 and 2004.
The National Basketball League (NBL) was a professional basketball league in the United States established in 1937. After the 1948–49 season, its twelfth, it merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA) to create the National Basketball Association (NBA). Six current NBA teams trace their history back to the NBL: the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Sacramento Kings, and the Golden State Warriors.
Charles Henry Cooper was an American professional basketball player.
The National Basketball Association's Executive of the Year Award is an annual award given since the 1972–73 NBA season, to the league's best general manager, president of basketball/business operations, or another high-ranking executive. Before 2009, the Executive of the Year was presented annually by Sporting News, but was officially recognized by the NBA. Since 2009, the award has been awarded by the NBA. Voting is conducted by executives from the league's 30 teams. The person with the most votes wins the award.
Wayne Richard Embry is an American former professional basketball player and basketball executive. Embry's 11-year playing career as a center spanned from 1958 to 1969 playing for the Cincinnati Royals, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, all of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After his playing career, Embry transitioned to a career as a professional basketball executive, becoming the first African-American general manager and team president in NBA history.
Terry DeWayne Catledge is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'8" forward from the University of South Alabama, Catledge spent eight seasons (1985–1993) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Bullets, and Orlando Magic. He ended his NBA career with 6,520 total points and 3,314 total rebounds.
Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Although three-point field goal percentage is often calculated separately, three-point field goals are included in the general field goal percentage. Instead of using scales of 0 to 100%, the scale .000 to 1.000 is commonly used. A higher field goal percentage denotes higher efficiency. In basketball, a FG% of .500 (50%) or above is considered a good percentage, although this criterion does not apply equally to all positions. Guards usually have lower FG% than forwards and centers. Field goal percentage does not completely tell the skill of a player, but a low field goal percentage can indicate a poor offensive player or a player who takes many difficult shots. In the NBA, center Shaquille O'Neal had a high career FG% because he played near the basket making many high percentage layups and dunks. Guard Allen Iverson often had a low FG% because he took the bulk of his team's shot attempts, even with high difficulty shots.
Fred Zollner, nicknamed "Mr. Pro Basketball", was the founder and owner, along with his sister Janet, of the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons and a key figure in the merger of National Basketball League (NBL) and Basketball Association of America (BAA) into the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1949. He was inducted as a contributor into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Joseph E. Meyer is an American professional basketball coach and former men's college basketball coach. He was the head coach of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Indiana Pacers' affiliate in the NBA Development League. He is currently the circuit's all-time leader in victories (226) and losses (237). He was previously the head basketball coach of the DePaul Blue Demons from 1984 to 1997 and the Asheville Altitude from 2001 to 2005 before they moved to become the Tulsa 66ers, where he coached from 2006 to 2008. With Asheville, he won back-to-back NBADL titles, the first of only two coaches to win mutliple league championships. He currently provides color commentary on radio broadcasts of Northwestern University Men's Basketball games on WGN-AM in Chicago.
The Central Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division consists of five teams, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks. All teams except the Cavaliers are former Midwest Division teams; thus, the Central Division now largely resembles the Midwest Division in the 1970s.
Artis Wayne Cooper was an American professional basketball player who played fourteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Coop", he played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Denver Nuggets from 1978 to 1992. He was the Denver Nuggets’ all-time leader in blocks when he left the franchise in 1989. After his playing career ended, he worked as an executive with the Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.
The 1956 NBA draft was the tenth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30, 1956, before the 1956–57 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season, except for the defending champion and runner-up, who were assigned the last two picks on each round. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising 92 players selected.
Wayne Robert Ellington Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is a player development coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Known for his shooting ability, he was nicknamed "The Man With The Golden Arm". He played for the University of North Carolina from 2006 to 2009. He chose to forgo his final season of college eligibility to declare for the 2009 NBA draft, and was drafted 28th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Indiana Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Indianapolis, and are affiliated with the Indiana Pacers. The team plays their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Mad Ants won their first and only championship in 2014, when the G League was known as the NBA D-League. In September 2015, Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E), parent company of the Indiana Pacers purchased the Mad Ants. Before 2023, the team was based in Fort Wayne's Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and was known as the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Rakeem Haleek Christmas is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange for four seasons before being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 36th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
Lucas Riva Amarante "Bebê" Nogueira is a Brazilian professional basketball player. He was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, but was later traded to the Atlanta Hawks. In 2014, his rights were traded to the Toronto Raptors. He also holds a Spanish passport.
Adreian DeAngleo Payne was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic as well as for several European and Asian teams. Payne played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans.
Wayne Anthony Selden Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Gigantes de Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Bruno Correa Fernandes Caboclo is a Brasilian professional basketball player for Partizan Mozzart Bet of the Basketball League of Serbia (KLS), the Adriatic League and the EuroLeague. He plays at the power forward position.
