Detroit Pistons

Lore & Background

The Pistons are one of the NBA's 'Original Eight' charter teams. They were founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, a semi-professional company basketball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1937. The club turned 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. In 1957, the franchise moved to Detroit. The Pistons have won three NBA championships: in 1989, 1990 and 2004.

Reader's Guide

The Pistons played in Olympia Stadium for their first four seasons in Detroit, then moved to Cobo Arena beginning in the 1961–62 season. In 1978, they moved to the Silverdome in Pontiac. The franchise's fortunes turned in 1981 when they drafted point guard Isiah Thomas. They later acquired Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, and hired head coach Chuck Daly in 1983. Key players from the late 1980s included Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, John Salley, Dennis Rodman, and Adrian Dantley. The team adopted a physical, defense-oriented style earning them the nickname 'Bad Boys'.

Did You Know?

• The Pistons were originally called the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, named after the Zollner Corporation which manufactured pistons.
• Fred Zollner brokered the formation of the NBA from the BAA and the NBL at his kitchen table in 1949.
• 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.
• The Pistons had a then-NBA record losing streak of 21 games spanning the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons.