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), winning 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, the team moved to the Silverdome in Pontiac. The franchise's fortunes turned in 1981 when they drafted Isiah Thomas. Key players included Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, and Adrian Dantley. The team adopted a physical, defense-oriented style known as the 'Bad Boys' and won championships in 1989 and 1990.

Did You Know?

• The Pistons were originally the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, named after the Zollner Corporation which manufactured pistons.
• The team won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1944, 1945, and 1946.
• 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' 1979–80 team lost its last 14 games, which combined with the first 7 losses of the next season set a then-NBA record losing streak of 21 games.