Detroit Pistons are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team competes in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The Pistons play in Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan.
The team began play in the NBA during the 1948-1949 season as the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Pistons. The team played in Fort Wayne through the 1956-1957 season, when it moved to Detroit. The Pistons won or tied for the division championship its final three seasons in Fort Wayne. The stars of the team were center Larry Foust, forward Mel Hutchins, and guard George Yardley.
Detroit generally had losing seasons throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. The team did feature two of the greatest stars in NBA history during that time in center Bob Lanier and guard Dave Bing.
The Pistons became one of the dominant teams in the NBA during the 1980’s. Under coach Chuck Daly, Detroit won three straight division titles from 1988 through 1990. The team won the NBA championship in 1988-1989 and 1989-1990. Those teams ranked among the greatest in NBA history. The stars included guards Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Vinnie Johnson; center Bill Laimbeer; and forwards Rick Mahorn, Mark Aguirre, and Dennis Rodman. The Pistons declined during the 1990’s, missing the playoffs five times during that decade. During the late 1990’s, the team did feature the high-scoring forwards Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse.
The Pistons became one of the league’s dominant teams during the first decade of the 2000’s. They finished first in their division six times. Stars of the era included forward Ben Wallace, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and guard Richard Hamilton. The Pistons won the 2003-2004 NBA championship, upsetting the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoff finals. Detroit was led by Wallace, Hamilton, center Rasheed Wallace, and guard Chauncey Billups. The following season, the Pistons lost in the playoff finals to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. Detroit had 64 victories during the 2005-2006 regular season, the best in the NBA. The Pistons lost to Miami in the conference finals. Detroit won the division title again in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, losing in 2007 to the Cleveland Cavaliers and in 2008 to the Boston Celtics in the conference finals. The team had a losing record for the 2008-2009 season but still made the playoffs, losing to Cleveland in the first round.
The franchise produced disappointing results in the 2010’s and the early 2020’s. The Pistons made the playoffs only twice, at the end of the 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 seasons. A top player on those teams was center Andre Drummond, one of the league’s leading rebounders. The team then tried to rebuild around young talent, including guard Cade Cunningham, the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. From October to December 2023, the Pistons lost 28 consecutive games, the league’s longest single-season losing streak.
