The team was founded as theFort Wayne Zollner Pistons, asemi-professional company basketball team based inFort Wayne, Indiana, in 1937. The club would turn professional in 1941 as a member of theNational Basketball League (NBL), where they won two NBL championships (1944 and 1945). The Pistons later joined theBasketball 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: in1989,1990 and2004.
Fred Zollner owned the Zollner Corporation, afoundry that manufacturedpistons, primarily for car, truck, and locomotive engines inFort 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 theirworks team roots and joined theNational Basketball League (NBL).[1] The Zollner Pistons were NBL champions in 1944 and 1945.[1] They also won theWorld Professional Basketball Tournament in 1944, 1945 and 1946.[11]
In 1948, the team became the Fort Wayne Pistons and jumped to theBasketball 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 withgamblers toshave points andthrow various games during the1953–54 and1954–55 seasons. In particular, there are accusations that the team may have intentionally lost the1955 NBA Finals to theSyracuse 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 byGeorge King with 12 seconds left in the game.[13][14] The closing moments included apalming turnover by the Pistons'George Yardley with 18 seconds left, a foul byFrank 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] Inthe following season, the Pistons made it back to theNBA Finals. However, they were defeated by thePhiladelphia Warriors in five games.[15]
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 toWorld War II, both theDetroit Gems of the NBL (who became theMinneapolis Lakers) and theDetroit Falcons of theBAA 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, andBob Lanier, questionable trades, and frequent coaching changes.[22][23][24][25][26][27] At one point, DeBusschere was the youngestplayer-coach in the history of the NBA.[25] Then a trade during the1968–69 season sent DeBusschere to theNew York Knicks forHoward Komives andWalt 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 theBaltimore Bullets in1964 and former Pistons guardGene 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 theBoston 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 magnateBill Davidson, who remained the team's principal owner until his death in 2009.[33][34]
The team had a winning season in1971, 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 and1977).[35][36][37][38] Hope was then placed inDick Vitale in1978, the former head coach at theUniversity of Detroit, but he was fired the following season, and the team limped into the 1980s with a 16–66 record in1979–80.[39] The 1979–80 team lost its last 14 games of the season which, when coupled with the seven losses at the start of the1980–81 season, constituted a then-NBA recordlosing streak of 21 games.[40]
Over time, Davidson became displeased with Cobo Arena, but opted not to follow the Red Wings to the under-constructionJoe Louis Arena next door. Instead, in 1978, he moved the team to the suburb ofPontiac, where they played in the 82,000 capacitySilverdome, a structure built for professionalfootball (and the home of theDetroit 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. In1984, the Pistons lost a tough five-game series to the underdogNew York Knicks, 3–2.[45] In the1985 playoffs, Detroit won its first-round series and faced the defending championBoston Celtics in the conference semifinals. Though Boston prevailed in six games, Detroit's surprise performance promised that a rivalry had begun.[39] In the1985 NBA draft, the team selectedJoe Dumars 18th overall, a selection that proved to be very wise.[46] They also acquiredRick Mahorn in a trade with theWashington Bullets.[47] However, the team took a step backwards, losing in the first round of the1986 playoffs to the more athleticAtlanta Hawks.[48] After the series, changes were made in order to make the team more defensive-minded.[39]
Prior to the1986–87 season, the Pistons acquired more key players:John Salley (drafted 11th overall),Dennis Rodman (drafted 27th) andAdrian Dantley (acquired in a trade with theUtah 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 theCeltics. After pushing the defending champions to a 2–2 tie, the Pistons were on the verge of winning Game 5 at theBoston 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 toDennis 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, thePistons, aided by midseason acquisitionJames Edwards, improved to a then-franchise-record 54 victories and the franchise's first division title in 32 years.[39][54][55] In thepostseason, 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 theFinals in 32 years saw them face theLos Angeles Lakers, who were led byMagic Johnson,James Worthy, andKareem 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 the1969 Boston Celtics.[56][59]
Dennis Rodman, NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991
Prior to the1988–89 season, the Pistons moved toAuburn Hills to play atThe Palace of Auburn Hills, the first NBA arena financed entirely with private funds.[60] The1989 Pistons completed the building of their roster by trading Adrian Dantley forMark 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 theplayoffs and into anNBA Finals rematch with theLakers. This time, the Pistons came out victorious in a four-game sweep to win their first NBA championship. Joe Dumars was namedNBA Finals MVP.[65]
The Pistons successfully defended their title in 1990, despite losing Rick Mahorn to theMinnesota 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 againstMichael Jordan,Scottie Pippen, and theChicago 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 consecutiveNBA Finals, the Pistons faced thePortland Trail Blazers.[67] After splitting the first two games at The Palace, the Pistons went toPortland, 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 championChicago 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 theNBA 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 the1991–92 season, the Pistons finished with a 48–34 record.[82][83] In the first round of the1992 NBA playoffs, the Pistons were defeated by theNew 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 the1993–94 season, finishing with a 20–62 record.[82]
After being swept by theMiami Heat in the2000 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 theOrlando Magic.[97] However, Dumars worked asign and trade with Orlando that brought the PistonsBen Wallace andChucky 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 in2000–01, going 32–50 despiteJerry Stackhouse averaging 29.8 points a game.[100] After the season, the Pistons fired George Irvine as head coach and hiredRick Carlisle, a widely respected assistant coach who had been a contributor for theCeltics 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 andMehmet 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, thatHall 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 ofRasheed Wallace.[114] The Pistons now had another big man to pose a threat from all parts of the court.[115] ThePistons finished theseason 54–28, recording their best record since 1997.[115] In the2004 playoffs, after defeating theMilwaukee Bucks in five games, they defeated the defending Eastern Conference championNew Jersey Nets in seven games after coming back from a 3–2 deficit.[115] The Pistons then defeated thePacers, coached by Rick Carlisle, in six tough games to advance to theNBA Finals for the first time since 1990.[116][115][117] Many analysts gave the Pistons little chance to win against their opponent, theLos Angeles Lakers, who had won three out of the previous four NBA championships and who fielded a star-studded lineup that includedShaquille O'Neal,Kobe Bryant,Gary Payton, andKarl 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 andNHL championship in the same calendar year, as he had also won theStanley Cup as owner of theTampa Bay Lightning.[34]
Despite losing key members of their bench during the off-season (including Okur,Mike James andCorliss Williamson), thePistons were considered a strong contender to win a second consecutive title in 2005.[121] They won 54 games during theregular season, their fourth consecutive season of 50 or more wins.[122] During the2005 playoffs, they easily defeated thePhiladelphia 76ers 4–1 and then rallied from a 2–1 deficit to finish off theIndiana Pacers, 4–2.[123][124][125] In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons faced theMiami Heat. Once again, the Pistons fell behind.[126] However, they ultimately won the series in seven games.[127] In theNBA Finals, the Pistons faced theSan 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 whenRobert 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 infamousMalice at the Palace erupted between the Pacers and the Pistons, one of thelargest 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 hiredFlip 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 the2005–06 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]
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 signedNazr 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 agentChris 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 the2007 NBA playoffs with a 4–0 victory over theOrlando Magic, their first playoff series sweep since 1990.[153] The team advanced to face theChicago 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 theCleveland Cavaliers. After both teams split the first four games of the series, the turning point happened in Game 5. The game is best remembered forLeBron 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 the2007–08 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] TheBoston Celtics held the first seed, and many speculated that Boston was their main competition in the Eastern Conference.[170][171] In the2008 NBA playoffs, Detroit started out poorly with a Game 1 loss to the seventh-seededPhiladelphia 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 theOrlando 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 theEastern 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 afterwards, aware that Joe Dumars would likely start dismantling the team, saying only, "It's over, man."[187] The Celtics went on to win the2008 NBA Finals.[188] On June 3, 2008, the Pistons announced that Saunders would not return as head coach.[189]
On June 10, 2008, the Pistons hiredMichael Curry to be their new head coach.[190] On November 3, 2008, the Pistons traded key members Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to theDenver Nuggets forAllen 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 theCleveland Cavaliers in four games in the first round of the2009 NBA playoffs.[201] On June 30, 2009, Curry was fired as head coach.[202] Iverson signed with theMemphis Grizzlies during the off-season.[203]
In the off-season, the Pistons reached an agreement with former Chicago Bulls guardBen Gordon on a five-year/$55 million contract, as well as an agreement with formerMilwaukee Bucks forwardCharlie 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 coachJohn 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 theIndiana 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; he had gotten into several disputes with the players, culminating with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on February 25, 2011, where it was reported several players staged a protest that morning during shootaround; Kuester responded by benching all those involved, and the animosity was so high that some of the benched players could be seen laughing in response to his ejection from the game late in the first half.[214][215][216]
Prior to the start of the2011–12 season, the Pistons made several leadership changes, including appointingDennis Mannion as president of the franchise andPalace Sports & Entertainment.[222] The team decided to hireLawrence Frank as the head coach.[223] 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 alockout-shortened season with a record of 25–41.[224] The team continued to build its young core with the drafting of the talented centerAndre Drummond.[225]
Following the2012–13 season, Frank was fired as head coach on April 18, 2013, after two losing seasons,[169][226] and on June 10, 2013, the Pistons hired former player and coachMaurice Cheeks.[227] His tenure lasted for just a bit more than half a season, as he was replaced by interim coachJohn Loyer.[228][229] 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.[230] 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.[231]
After starting the2014–15 season with a 5–23 record, the Pistons waivedJosh Smith, who was acquired in the summer of 2013.[232] The team went on a lengthy winning streak, but finished the season with a record of only 32–50 afterBrandon Jennings' Achilles injury.[233][234]
The Pistons entered the All-Star break at 27–27.[244] The Pistons surpassed their win totals from the2009–10 season to the2014–15 season on March 9, 2016, when they defeated theDallas Mavericks 102–96.[245] On April 6, 2016, following a 108–104 win over theOrlando Magic, the Pistons reached 42 wins and were assured their first winning season since the2007–08 season.[246] On April 8, 2016, the Pistons defeated theWashington Wizards 112–99 and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2009.[247] The eighth-seeded Pistons faced the top-seededCleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the2016 NBA playoffs. They were swept in four games in a highly competitive series.[248][249]
Beginning with the1978–79 season, the Pistons played their home games in suburbanOakland 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][250][251] Pistons owner Tom Gores, Palace Sports & Entertainment vice chairmanArn Tellum, andOlympia Entertainment, theIlitch family's holding company that controls the Red Wings andTigers, had been in negotiations over a partnership since the summer of 2015, with the Pistons possibly relocating to the newLittle 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.[252] 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.[252][253] The leasing agreement/partnership needed both city and league approval to be finalized.[254][255]
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.[256] The last remaining NBA franchise to play in a suburban location, the Pistons ended their 39-year stay in Oakland County.[257]
On June 20, 2017, Detroit City Council approved the Pistons' move to Little Caesars Arena.[258] On August 3, 2017, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the move, which made it official.[259][260] The move made Detroit the only U.S. city to have itsMajor 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 beingPhiladelphia.[261]
The Pistons finished the2017–18 season with a 39–43 record. They missed the playoffs for the eighth time in ten years.[263] On May 7, 2018, the Pistons announced that Stan Van Gundy would not return as head coach and president of basketball operations.[264] On June 11, 2018,Dwane Casey was hired by the Pistons to be their new head coach, agreeing to a five-year deal.[265] The Pistons finished the2018–19 season with a 41–41 record, clinching a playoff spot as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.[266] In the first round of the2019 NBA playoffs, the Pistons were swept in four games by theMilwaukee Bucks, setting an NBA record for the most consecutive playoff losses with 14.[267][268]
On March 11, 2020, the2019–20 season wassuspended by the NBA after it was reported thatRudy Gobert tested positive forCOVID-19.[269][270] 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 theNBA bubble on July 31, 2020, which was approved by theNational Basketball Players Association the next day.[271][272] The Pistons finished the season with a 20–46 record.[273]
2020–2024: Continued struggles; historic losing streak
On June 18, 2020, the Pistons hiredTroy Weaver as the new general manager.[274] The Pistons finished the2020–21 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.[275][276] In the2021 NBA draft, the Pistons selectedCade Cunningham with the first overall pick.[277] The Pistons finished the2021–22 season at 23–59, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season.[278]
With the fifth overall pick in the2022 NBA draft, the Pistons selectedJaden Ivey. Later in the first round, the Pistons acquiredJalen Duren via a trade with theNew York Knicks.[279][280] The Pistons finished the2022–23 season with the worst overall record in NBA and third-worst in franchise history at 17–65.[281] It was their first 60-loss season since 1993–94.[282] After the last game of the season on April 9, 2023, Dwane Casey stepped down as head coach to join the front office.[281] On June 2, 2023,Monty Williams was hired by the Pistons to be their new head coach.[283]
After the Pistons started the2023–24 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.[284] They became the thirteenth team in NBA history to have a winless month, going 0–15 in November.[285] On March 9, 2024, the Pistons were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth consecutive season.[286] The Pistons finished with the worst overall record in the NBA for the second consecutive season and worst in franchise history at 14–68.[287]
On May 31, 2024, the Pistons hiredTrajan Langdon as President of Basketball Operations.[288] The following day, the Pistons announced that Troy Weaver had stepped down as general manager.[289] On June 19, 2024, Monty Williams was fired as head coach.[290] On July 3, 2024, the Pistons hiredJ. B. Bickerstaff as head coach.[291]
On January 1, 2025, following a win over theOrlando Magic, the Pistons surpassed the previous season's win total.[292] On March 28, the Pistons secured their first winning season since 2016.[293] They also became the second team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous season, joining the2012–13 Charlotte Bobcats, and the first to do so from the previous full season.[294] On April 4, the Pistons clincheda playoff spot for the first time since 2019 with a 117–105 win over theToronto Raptors.[295] The Pistons finished the2024–25 season at 44–38, their best record since 2016.[296][297] On April 21, the Pistons snapped their NBA-record, 15-game postseason losing streak by beating theNew York Knicks 100–94 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.[298] The Pistons were ultimately defeated by the Knicks in six games.[299]
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 1981–1996 threads.[305] The horse's head and flaming mane logo lasted until 2005, when the team switched to a more classic logo design.[306]
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][307]
Hooper is themascot of the Pistons. He is depicted as ahorse wearing a Pistons jersey. The symbolism is, that like the pistons they are named after, the team produceshorsepower.[306][308] Hooper became a part of the team on November 1, 1996, replacing Sir Slam A Lot.[309][310]
Though Hooper was introduced during the teal era to coincide with the Pistons' original equestrian logo, his popularity allowed him to remain a part of the team, despite the horsepower theme being phased out in 2005.[306]
At the start of the1987–88 season,Al Davis, owner of the thenLos 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][311]
The end of season video yearbook produced by the NBA was titledBad Boys.[51][312] Due to these factors, the name and image was embraced by the players and fans.[51][311][313][314] Pistons guard Joe Dumars said, "You can't be great in this league and have zero identity."[313]Hudson Soft would later develop and publishBill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball, a futuristic basketball game released for theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System without rules, without fouls, and weapons are permitted.[315]
The positive view of the team was not universal with Michael Jordan declaring "the Bad Boys are bad for basketball",[79] later adding "I hated them. And that hate carries even to this day."[316]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."[313]
Jalen Rose, who later starred as a member of theFab 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 announcerGeorge 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."[314]
During the1984–85 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][324] The March 11 game was played at Cobo Arena.[325]
1Reggie Jackson wore the number at the time it was retired (2015–2020).[332][333]
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, forCade Cunningham after he received permission to wear it from Daly's daughter.[44][334]
3Stanley Johnson wore the number at the time it was retired.[332][335]
^abcdefghiPretzer, Ryan (October 16, 2007)."Farewell, Fort Wayne".NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC.Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. RetrievedMay 12, 2022.
^"NBA LockerVision - Detroit Pistons - Association Edition - Story Guide".LockerVision.NBA.com. NBA Properties, Inc.Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. RetrievedNovember 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. RetrievedMarch 19, 2019.
^abLanglois, Keith (May 9, 2009)."Chuck Daly, 1930-2009".NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC.Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. RetrievedJune 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. RetrievedMay 16, 2017.
^"Pistons waive Josh Smith".NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. December 22, 2014. Archived fromthe original on February 16, 2015. RetrievedNovember 24, 2016.
^abc"Detroit Pistons Radio".NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 28, 2015.Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. RetrievedDecember 13, 2022.
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