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 (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.
History
1937–1957: Fort Wayne (Zollner) Pistons
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
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]
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]
Isiah Thomas (with the ball) 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
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][58] 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][59]
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.[60] 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.[61][62][63][64] 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.[65]
The Pistons successfully defended their title in 1990, despite losing Rick Mahorn to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the expansion draft.[66][67] 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.[68][69][70] Advancing to their third consecutive NBA Finals, the Pistons faced the Portland Trail Blazers.[67] 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.[71] The Pistons won all three games in Portland, becoming the first NBA team to sweep the middle three games on the road.[72] 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".[67][73] Isiah Thomas was named NBA Finals MVP.[67]
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.[74] 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.[75] 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."[76][77][78] It was later revealed that the real reason the Pistons walked off the court without shaking hands with the Bulls was due to comments said by Jordan in a pre-game interview before Game 4, where he said, "The Pistons are undeserving champions. The Bad Boys are bad for basketball."[79]
After getting swept by the Bulls, the Pistons traded James Edwards and waived Vinnie Johnson during the off-season.[80][81] In the 1991–92 season, the Pistons finished with a 48–34 record.[82][83] In the first round of the 1992 NBA playoffs, the Pistons were defeated by the New York Knicks in five games.[84] Chuck Daly resigned as head coach after the season.[85] 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][86][87][88] They bottomed out in the 1993–94 season, finishing with a 20–62 record.[82]
1994–2000: The Grant Hill era
Doug Collins, one of five head coaches for the Pistons in an eight-year span.
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.[96] He quickly faced what appeared to be a setback for the franchise, as Grant Hill elected to leave for the Orlando Magic.[97] However, Dumars worked a sign and trade with Orlando that brought the Pistons Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins in exchange for Hill.[98] Both quickly entered the Pistons' starting lineup. Wallace in particular developed into a defensive stalwart in the coming years.[94][99] However, Hill played only 47 games in the following three seasons due to a recurring ankle injury.[94]
The Pistons suffered through another tough season in 2000–01, going 32–50 despite Jerry Stackhouse averaging 29.8 points a game.[100] 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.[101] The franchise also returned to its traditional red, white, and blue colors.[94]
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 FamerLarry Brown had become available; and fifth, that Carlisle was rumored to have alienated owner Bill Davidson with his personality.[111][112] Brown accepted the job that summer.[113]
The Pistons' transformation into a championship team was completed with the February 2004 acquisition of Rasheed Wallace.[114] The Pistons now had another big man to pose a threat from all parts of the court.[115] The Pistons finished the season 54–28, recording their best record since 1997.[115] 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.[115] 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.[116][115][117] 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.[115][118] However, the Pistons won the series in dominating fashion, defeating Los Angeles in five games for the team's third NBA championship.[115][119] 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.[115][120] Chauncey Billups was named NBA Finals MVP.[115][119] 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.[121] They won 54 games during the regular season, their fourth consecutive season of 50 or more wins.[122] 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.[123][124][125] In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons faced the Miami Heat. Once again, the Pistons fell behind.[126] However, they ultimately won the series in seven games.[127] 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.[128] The Pistons fought back to win Game 6 in San Antonio, setting up the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 1994.[129] The Pistons then lost a hard-fought, low-scoring game to the Spurs, who won their third NBA championship since 1999.[130]
The Pistons' 2004–05 season was marked by a major controversy, as well as distracting issues involving Larry Brown.[131][132] 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.[131] It resulted in heavy fines and suspensions for several players and a great deal of NBA and media scrutiny.[131] 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.[132] 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.[132][133] Brown was promptly named head coach of the New York Knicks, while the Pistons hired Flip Saunders, formerly of the Minnesota Timberwolves.[134][135]
Chauncey Billups was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and made three All-Star appearances during his first stint with the Pistons.
During the 2005–06 season, the Pistons recorded the NBA's best overall record.[136] 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.[137][138] 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.[139] The Pistons finished the regular season with a record of 64–18, setting new franchise records for both overall and road victories (27).[136][140][141] In addition, the team set an NBA record by starting the same lineup in 73 consecutive games from the start of the season.[136]
A game ticket from March 2006 between the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards.
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.[147]
To replace Ben Wallace, the Pistons signed Nazr Mohammed.[148] He struggled to fill the team's void at center, however, and the team began looking for additional help.[91] On January 16, 2007, the Pistons signed free agent Chris Webber.[149] The Pistons quickly began playing better basketball. They were only 21–15 before Webber was acquired; with him, the team went 32–14.[150][151] 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.[152]
The Pistons opened the 2007 NBA playoffs with a 4–0 victory over the Orlando Magic, their first playoff series sweep since 1990.[153] The team advanced to face the Chicago Bulls, marking the first time that the Central Division rivals had met in the postseason since 1991.[154] After winning the first two games by 26 and 21 points, the Pistons overcame a 19-point deficit to win Game 3, 81–74.[155][156][157] 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.[158][159][160] 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.[161] The Pistons never recovered as they were eliminated in Game 6, 98–82.[162]
At the start of the 2007–08 season, Rasheed Wallace became the Pistons' new center.[168] Upon entering his third season, Saunders became the longest-tenured Pistons coach since Chuck Daly.[169] Detroit finished the season with the second-best record in the league at 59–23.[170] The Boston Celtics held the first seed, and many speculated that Boston was their main competition in the Eastern Conference.[170][171] 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.[172][173] However, the Pistons rallied to defeat the Sixers in six games.[174]
In the semifinals, the Pistons faced the Orlando Magic. The Pistons rolled out to a Game 1 romp,[175] 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.[176]
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.[177] 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.[178] Again with Billups sitting on the sideline, they then proceeded to win Game 5 in Detroit, winning the series 4–1.[179]
Detroit advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth straight season, squaring off against the Celtics.[179][180] 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.[181] 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.[182][183] Immediately following that, the Celtics won their first road game of the postseason, 94–80, in Game 3.[184] Game 4 saw the Pistons win 94–75.[185] In the pivotal Game 5 they lost 106–102, despite rallying from 17 points down late in the game.[186] 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."[187] After that, the Celtics went on to win the 2008 NBA Finals.[188] On June 3, 2008, the Pistons announced that Flip Saunders would not return as head coach.[189]
2008–2011: Failed rebuilding
Ben Wallace in 2009.
On June 10, 2008, the Pistons hired Michael Curry to be their new head coach.[190] On November 3, 2008, the Pistons traded key members Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson.[191][192] McDyess was later waived on November 10 and rejoined the Pistons on December 9.[193][194] 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.[191] 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.[195]
The season was marked with many controversies and injuries.[196][197] As a result of this and poor play, the Pistons dropped down the standings, only clinching a playoff berth on April 10, 2009.[198] The Pistons finished the season at 39–43, their first losing season in eight years.[199][200] The Pistons were then swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs.[201] On June 30, 2009, Michael Curry was fired as head coach.[202] Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies during the off-season.[203]
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.[204][205] That same month, the Pistons lost their two key members during the last few years, veterans Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess.[206][207] On July 8, 2009, the Pistons hired former Cavaliers assistant coach John Kuester to be the new head coach.[208] The Pistons later re-signed Ben Wallace on August 12, 2009.[209]
Despite these changes, the team regressed even further, as they were hampered by setbacks and injuries.[210][211] On March 23, 2010, the Pistons were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Indiana Pacers.[212] The Pistons finished with a 27–55 record, their worst since 1994.[213] Another 50-loss season, this time finishing at 30–52, led to the firing of Kuester at the end of the 2010–11 season.[214]
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.[220] The team decided to hire Lawrence Frank as the head coach.[221] 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.[222] The team continued to build its young core with the drafting of the talented center Andre Drummond.[223]
Following the 2012–13 season, Frank was fired as head coach on April 18, 2013, after two losing seasons,[169][224] and on June 10, 2013, the Pistons hired former player and coach Maurice Cheeks.[225] His tenure lasted for just a bit more than half a season, as he was replaced by interim coach John Loyer.[226][227] 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.[228] 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.[229]
After starting the 2014–15 season with a 5–23 record, the Pistons waived Josh Smith, who was acquired in the summer of 2013.[230] The team went on a lengthy winning streak, but finished the season with a record of only 32–50 after Brandon Jennings' Achilles injury.[231][232]
2015–2017: Return to the playoffs
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.[233][234][235][236] They also drafted rookie Stanley Johnson with the eighth pick in the 2015 NBA draft and re-signed point guard Reggie Jackson.[237][238] 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.[239] Andre Drummond started the season strong, earning consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards for the weeks of November 1 and 8.[240][241]
The Pistons entered the All-Star break at 27–27.[242] 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.[243] 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.[244] On April 8, 2016, the Pistons defeated the Washington Wizards 112–99 and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2009.[245] 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.[246][247]
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][248][249] 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.[250] 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.[250][251] The leasing agreement/partnership needed both city and league approval to be finalized.[252][253]
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.[254] The last remaining NBA franchise to play in a suburban location, the Pistons ended their 39 year stay in Oakland County.[255]
On June 20, 2017, Detroit City Council approved the Pistons' move to Little Caesars Arena.[256] On August 3, 2017, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the move, which made it official.[257][258] 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.[259]
The Pistons finished the 2017–18 season with a 39–43 record. They missed the playoffs for the eighth time in ten years.[261] On May 7, 2018, the Pistons announced that Stan Van Gundy would not return as head coach and president of basketball operations.[262] On June 11, 2018, Dwane Casey was hired by the Pistons to be their new head coach, agreeing to a five-year deal.[263] The Pistons finished the 2018–19 season with a 41–41 record, clinching a playoff spot as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.[264] 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.[265][266]
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.[267][268] 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.[269][270] The Pistons finished the season with a 20–46 record.[271]
2020–present: Continued struggles; historic losing streak
On June 18, 2020, the Pistons hired Troy Weaver as the new general manager.[272] 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.[273][274] In the 2021 NBA draft, the Pistons selected Cade Cunningham with the first overall pick.[275] The Pistons finished the 2021–22 season at 23–59, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season.[276]
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.[277] The Pistons finished the 2022–23 season with the worst overall record in NBA and third-worst in franchise history at 17–65.[278] It was their first 60-loss season since 1993–94.[279] After the last game of the season on April 9, 2023, Dwane Casey stepped down as head coach to join the front office.[278] On June 2, 2023, Monty Williams was hired by the Pistons to be their new head coach.[280]
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.[281] They became the thirteenth team in NBA history to have a winless month, going 0–15 in November.[282] On March 9, 2024, the Pistons were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth consecutive season.[283] The Pistons finished with the worst overall record in the NBA for the second consecutive season and worst in franchise history at 14–68.[284]
On May 31, 2024, the Pistons hired Trajan Langdon as President of Basketball Operations.[285] The following day, the Pistons announced that Troy Weaver had stepped down as general manager.[286] On June 19, 2024, Monty Williams was fired as head coach.[287] On July 3, 2024, the Pistons hired J. B. Bickerstaff as head coach.[288]
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.[293] The horse's head and flaming mane logo lasted until 2005, when the team switched to a more classic logo design.[294]
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][295]
Mascot
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.[294][296] Hooper became a part of the team on November 1, 1996, replacing Sir Slam A Lot.[297][298]
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.[294]
Origins of the Bad Boys nickname
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][299]
The end of season video yearbook produced by the NBA was titled Bad Boys.[51][300] Due to these factors, the name and image was embraced by the players and fans.[51][299][301][302] Pistons guard Joe Dumars said, "You can't be great in this league and have zero identity."[301]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.[303]
The positive view of the team was not universal with Michael Jordan declaring "the Bad Boys are bad for basketball,"[304] later adding "I hated them. And that hate carries even to this day."[305]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."[301]
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."[302]
Season-by-season record
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
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).[60][313] The March 11 game was played at Cobo Arena.[314]
1Reggie Jackson wore the number at the time it was retired (2015–2020).[321][322]
2The 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][323]
3Stanley Johnson wore the number at the time it was retired.[321][324]
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iverson won NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 and was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star Game MVP Award in 2001 and 2005, and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. In October 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Iverson is regarded as one of the game's greatest scorers, ball handlers, guards, and one of the most influential athletes in American sports.
Rasheed Abdul Wallace is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 1995. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Ben Camey Wallace is an American basketball executive and former professional player who played most of his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Detroit Pistons. He is regarded as the greatest undrafted player in NBA history, and was known for his shot-blocking, rebounding, and overall defensive play. A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University. In his NBA career, he also played with the Washington Bullets/Wizards, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Joe Dumars III is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the executive vice president and head of basketball operations of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He could play either shooting guard or point guard on offense and was a highly effective defender. He played his entire 14-year career with the Detroit Pistons. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dumars and Isiah Thomas combined to form one of the best backcourts in NBA history, winning two championships together. Dumars was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Isiah Lord Thomas III, also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. He played his entire professional career for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time, Thomas was a two-time NBA champion, an NBA Finals MVP recipient, a five-time All-NBA Team member, a 12-time NBA All-Star with two All-Star Game MVP awards and the 1985 NBA assist leader. He was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. From 2000 to 2012 he coached the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, and FIU.
Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. Billups spent the majority of his 17-year basketball career playing for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. He was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit. A five-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All-Defensive selection, Billups also played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career.
William Laimbeer Jr. is an American former professional basketball coach and player who spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Pistons. Known for his physical style of play, he played a big part in the Pistons earning the nickname the “Bad Boys" in the mid-1980s before helping them win back-to-back NBA championships.
Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton is an American former professional basketball player and current basketball analyst for CBS Sports HQ. Hamilton played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is best known for his nine-year stint with the Detroit Pistons, where he was a three-time All-Star. He helped lead the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, back to back NBA Finals appearances, their best record in franchise history and the 2004 NBA championship.
Maurice Edward Cheeks is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons. Cheeks was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018. He was the first player with 2,000 steals solely in the NBA. His most famous moment may be when, as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, he came to the aid of 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert who had forgotten the words while singing the Star Spangled Banner.
Paul Douglas Collins is an American basketball executive, former player, coach and television analyst in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1973 to 1981 for the Philadelphia 76ers, earning four NBA All-Star selections. He then became an NBA coach in 1986, and had stints coaching the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. Collins also served as an analyst for various NBA-related broadcast shows. He is a recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award. In April 2024, Collins was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2024 by the Contributors Committee.
Philip Daniel "Flip" Saunders was an American basketball player and coach. During his career, he coached the La Crosse Catbirds, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards.
The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2003–04 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. This season's NBA Finals was contested between the Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Eastern Conference playoff champion Detroit Pistons. The Lakers held home court advantage, and the series was played under a best-of-seven format.
The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1988–89 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons and the two-time defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers. This, along with the 1983 NBA Finals, were the only two NBA championships of the 1980s not to be won by either the Lakers or the Boston Celtics; every NBA Finals of that decade featured either the Lakers or Celtics, and sometimes both. Coincidentally, the Lakers were also swept in the 1983 NBA Finals, that time by the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Bulls–Pistons rivalry is an NBA rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. The rivalry began in the late 1980s and was one of the most intense in NBA history for several years, when Michael Jordan evolved into one of the league's best players and the Pistons became a playoff contender. They represent the two largest metro areas in the Midwest and are only separated by a 280-mile (450 km) stretch of road, mostly covered by I-94, which is a factor in the two cities’ rivalries with each other in other sports besides basketball.
The 2003–04 NBA season was the 63rd season for the Pistons, the 56th in the National Basketball Association, and the 47th in the Detroit area. Despite a solid year the previous season, the Pistons received the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, which they obtained from the Memphis Grizzlies. They selected Darko Miličić as their top pick, but only used him as a reserve as he played limited minutes off the bench; he would later be regarded as one of the most suboptimal picks in the history of the NBA draft. After their first trip to the Conference Finals since 1991, the Pistons hired Larry Brown as head coach. Under Brown, the Pistons were once again a tough defensive team as they went on a 13-game winning streak between December and January. However, after a solid 33–16 start, they struggled in February losing six straight games. At midseason, the team acquired All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace from the Atlanta Hawks after playing just one game for them. With the addition of Wallace, the Pistons won 16 of their final 19 games finishing second in the Central Division with a 54–28 record. Ben Wallace was selected for the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. The Pistons went on to win the NBA Championship for the third time in franchise history, with Miličić being the youngest player to win said championship.
The 2003–04 NBA season was the Lakers' 56th season in the National Basketball Association and 44th in the city of Los Angeles.
Scott Perry is an American basketball executive and former coach. He served as the general manager for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2017 to 2023. His contract expired at the end of the 2023 season, and the Knicks decided not to bring him back.
The Lakers–Pistons rivalry is an American professional basketball rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons. This rivalry, which was showcased three times in the NBA Finals, pitted the All-Star filled Lakers teams against the blue collar, team-first oriented Pistons squads. Despite playing the role of underdog in all three of their final round meetings with Los Angeles, Detroit enjoyed significant success against the Lakers, claiming the NBA title against them twice.
The 1992–93 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons' 45th season in the National Basketball Association, and 36th season in the city of Detroit. During the off-season, the Pistons signed free agent Terry Mills, and acquired Olden Polynice from the Los Angeles Clippers. Under new head coach Ron Rothstein, the Pistons years of battle would catch up with them as they lost nine of their first eleven games. However, they would win ten of their next eleven games to climb back into playoff connection, but then slip below .500 holding a 21–29 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Orlando Woolridge to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for All-Star guard Alvin Robertson. After posting many winning and losing streaks throughout the entire season, the Pistons missed the playoffs for the first time in ten years, finishing sixth in the Central Division with a 40–42 record.
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Pistons' 62nd season as a franchise, the 55th in the National Basketball Association, and the 46th in the Detroit area. During the off-season, the Pistons acquired Richard Hamilton from the Washington Wizards, and signed free agent Chauncey Billups. With the acquisitions of Hamilton and Billups, the Pistons got off to a solid start winning 12 of their first 16 games, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break. However, the team suffered a 7-game losing streak between February and March, but managed to finish first place in the Eastern Conference with a 50–32 record, which tied the 1977 Philadelphia 76ers for the worst record by a number one-seeded team in the history of the league. The Pistons were the only team in the Eastern Conference with 50 or more wins this season.
↑ "NBA LockerVision - Detroit Pistons - Association Edition - Story Guide". LockerVision.NBA.com. NBA Properties, Inc. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2022. The Detroit Pistons Association Edition uniform is the traditional white-base uniform found in every team's uniform lineup. The Pistons core brand elements are brought to life using the teams classic red, white and blue colorway along with the "Pistons" jersey wordmark and classic stripes on the side inserts. The shorts feature the team's primary and secondary logos, while also maintaining the stripe detail found on the jersey.
↑ Maxwell, John (December 26, 2007). "The First 2,000-Point Scorer". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
1 2 Langlois, Keith (May 9, 2009). "Chuck Daly, 1930-2009". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
↑ Langlois, Keith (May 31, 2011). "NBA Approves Tom Gores". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
↑ "Pistons waive Josh Smith". NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. December 22, 2014. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
1 2 3 "Detroit Pistons Radio". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
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2024–25 Detroit Pistons season 
