A Basic History of the Detroit Pistons Basketball Team

The Detroit Pistons are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association. The Pistons play in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The team currently plays its home games in the Palace of Auburn Hills, in the suburb of Detroit, Michigan.

The Detroit Pistons are currently owned by William Davidson and coached by Flip Saunders. The official colors of the Pistons are red, white, and blue.

The franchise was founded in 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as a part of the NBL. In 1948, the franchise officially joined the NBA. In 1957, the team moved to Detroit but kept the name, Pistons.

During the Pistons' time in Fort Wayne, the team played its home games in North Side Elementary School Gym from 1948-1952, and in the War Memorial Coliseum until 1957. After the team moved to Detroit, it has played its home games in Olympia Stadium, Cobo Arena, the Pontiac Silverdome, and The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons have won a total of fourteen division titles. The Fort Wayne Pistons won four division titles in the NBL in 1943-1946. The Pistons franchise has won ten NBA division titles in 1955, 1956, 1988-1990, 2002, 2003, and 2005-2007. The Detroit Pistons have won five conference titles in the NBA in 1988-1990 and 2004-2005. The Fort Wayne Pistons won two NBL Championships in 1994 and 1945. The Detroit Pistons have won three NBA Championships in 1989, 1990, and 2004.

The Pistons have nine former players in the National Basketball Hall of Fame. These players are Dave Bing, Dave DeBusschere, Joe Dumars, Bob Houbregs, Bob Lanier, Bob McAdoo, Bobby McDermott, Isiah Thomas, and George Yardley. Two former coaches, Larry Brown and Chuck Daly, are in the Hall of Fame. Earl Lloyd and Fred Zollner are in the Hall of Fame as contributors to the game of basketball.

The Detroit Pistons currently have six retired numbers. The players whose numbers have been retired are Joe Dumars - 4, Isiah Thomas - 11, Vinnie Johnson - 15, Bob Lanier - 16, Dave Bing - 21, and Bill Laimbeer - 40. The number 2 is retired in honor of the two NBA Championships that Chuck Daly won. A banner also hangs honoring the owner of the Pistons, William Davidson, who has owned the team since 1974.

Joe Dumars has played the most games in a Pistons uniform with 1,018. Isiah Thomas is the all-time Pistons leader in points with 18,822, assists with 9,061, and steals with 1,861. Bill Laimbeer is the rebound leader with 9,430. Ben Wallace has the most blocked shots in Pistons history with 1,297.