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Franchise history:
The franchise was founded in 1941 in Fort Wayne,
Indiana by Fred Zollner, owner of a company that manufactured
pistons for General Motors. It is the oldest existing
franchise in the NBA. Led by star forward George Yardley,
the Fort Wayne Pistons were a popular franchise and
appeared in the NBA Finals in 1954 and 1955, losing
both times. In 1957, Zollner moved the team to Detroit,
a much larger city that did not have an NBA franchise;
the Detroit Gems had folded after one season of existence.
The new Detroit Pistons played in Olympia Stadium for
their first four seasons, then moved to Cobo Arena.
The franchise was a consistent disappointment, struggling
on both the court and the box office. In 1974, Zollner
sold the team to Bill Davidson, who remains the team's
owner. Displeased with the team's location in downtown
Detroit, Davidson moved it to the suburb of Pontiac
in 1978, where it played in the mammoth Silverdome,
a structure built for pro football.
The franchise's fortunes finally began to turn in 1981,
when it drafted point guard Isiah Thomas out of Indiana
University. In early 1982, it acquired center Bill Laimbeer
and guard Vinnie Johnson. The three, along with later
acquisitions Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, and Dennis Rodman,
formed the core of a team that would rise to the top
of the league. Coach Chuck Daly took the team to the
NBA Finals three consecutive years (1988-90) and won
NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. The team moved into
the lavish Palace of Auburn Hills in 1988 and remains
there today.
Basketball Hall of Famers:
• Larry Brown
• Chuck Daly
• Earl Lloyd (inducted
as a contributor, not as a player or coach)
External links:
Detroit Pistons official web site (http://www.nba.com/pistons/)
Official Detroit Pistons Summer Pro League web site
(http://www.summerproleague.com/)
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Team:
Detroit Pistons
