Rick Mahorn

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Mahorn had a reputation for physical play, and was a member of the late 1980s Detroit Pistons teams known as 'The Bad Boys', and with them won the 1989 NBA Championship. After his playing career, Mahorn would go on to be an assistant coach under Pistons teammate and head coach Bill Laimbeer with the Detroit Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and was part of two WNBA Championship teams (2006, 2008). He would eventually become head coach of the Shock, and later became head coach of Trilogy of the BIG3, leading the team to the inaugural BIG3 Championship in 2017, making Mahorn the only one in history to have won a championship in the NBA, WNBA, and BIG3.

In Their Own Story

In Philadelphia, Mahorn reunited with former rival Charles Barkley to form a top-rebounding duo known as 'Thump N' Bump.' After two seasons in Philly, he moved overseas to play for Il Messaggero Roma in Italy's Serie A in 1991. Teaming with Dino Radja, he helped the team win the 1992 FIBA Korać Cup. His time there ended abruptly in October when he was kicked off the team after throwing a chair during a heated argument with head coach Paolo Di Fonzo. He returned to the NBA in November, signing with the New Jersey Nets, where he played for four seasons before returning to the Pistons in 1996–97 under coach Doug Collins. His final stint came with the 76ers before retiring after the 1999 season. The story of his career is one of resilience, from overcoming the shock of the expansion draft to bouncing back from international turmoil to finish his NBA journey.

Reader's Guide

Mahorn played college basketball at Hampton University, where he was a three-time NAIA All-American and owned 18 school records. He scored 2,418 points while playing for the Pirates, averaging 20.3 points per game. He was drafted by the Washington Bullets in the second round of the 1980 NBA draft. While on the Bullets, Mahorn and all-star teammate Jeff Ruland were dubbed the 'Beef Brothers'. Mahorn's career is perhaps best known for the period after he was traded by the Bullets to the Detroit Pistons. He was unhappy with the trade initially and showed up to training camp overweight and out of shape. After teammate Bill Laimbeer took him aside, Mahorn became an integral part of the Pistons’ core. In 1989, Mahorn won his only NBA championship with the Pistons. Two days after the Pistons won the championship in 1989, the NBA held an expansion draft for the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pistons elected not to protect Mahorn, and he was made the second pick in the expansion draft and the first to be taken by the Timberwolves. Mahorn never played for Minnesota; after refusing to report, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he teamed with Charles Barkley to form the top-rebounding duo of 'Thump N' Bump'. After two seasons, Mahorn signed a two-year contract with Il Messaggero Roma of the Italian Serie A in 1991. Teaming up with Dino Radja, Mahorn helped Roma win the 1992 FIBA Korać Cup. He started the 1992–1993 season with Roma but was kicked off the team in October after throwing a chair in a heated argument with head coach Paolo Di Fonzo. In November, he returned to the NBA and signed with the New Jersey Nets. He played with the Nets for four seasons, before returning to the Pistons in 1996–97 under coach Doug Collins. He retired after the 1999 season, after a second stint with the 76ers. Mahorn then served as a color commentator for Pistons radio broadcasts, and as an assistant coach under former teammate Bill Laimbeer with the WNBA's Detroit Shock. Laimbeer and Mahorn led the Shock to two WNBA titles (2006, 2008). On July 22, 2008, at a Sparks-Shock game, Mahorn attempted to break up a brawl. When attempting to restrain Lisa Leslie, he put his left hand out and Leslie fell to the ground. Mahorn was suspended for two games. On June 15, 2009, he became the head coach of the Shock, a position he held until the franchise moved to Tulsa, Okl

Did You Know?

• Mahorn was dubbed by Pistons announcer George Blaha the 'Baddest Bad Boy of them all'.
• Mahorn is the only person in history to have won a championship in the NBA, WNBA, and BIG3.
• Mahorn was taken aside during the Pistons' victory celebration to be told he had been selected in the expansion draft.