The Move

Team owner Fred Zollner decided to move the team to Michigan as Fort Wayne was too small a city for the Pistons to be profitable. They made the move in 1957 and were renamed the Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately, the initial years were not as successful as they had hoped it would be. There were many stars in the team but the team as a whole did not perform well. The star players included Bob Lanier and Dave Bing. Zollner sold the team to Bill Davidson who still owns the Pistons.

The 1980’s saw a rise in the fortunes of the Pistons. They drafted Isiah Thomas and got Vinnie Johnson and Bill Laimbeer through trades. These three players would stay together for about ten years and lift the Pistons to great heights.

The Pistons reached their first NBA Finals in 1988 where they faced the Los Angeles Lakers. The game seemed to be going in the Pistons favor but the Lakers eventually won with a narrow margin. The score was 108-105. The Pistons were able to settle the score in 1989 when they beat the Lakers and won their first NBA Championship. They won it again the next year by defeating the Chicago Bulls. Their third NBA Title came after a long gap in 2004. They beat their old rivals the Los Angeles Lakers who were the favorites to win the game.

Their Home Arenas

The Pistons have played their home games in many arenas. When they were in Fort Wayne, they played at the North Side High School Gym and the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. After their move, their first games at the Olympia Stadium before moving to Cobo Arena where they played from 1961 to 1978. The next years saw them play their home games at the Pontiac Silverdome. They finally moved to The Palace of Auburn Hills in 1988 which is still their home arena. They had to play a couple of their home games at other locations due to some unavoidable circumstances. These were the Grosse Pointe High School in 1960 and Joe Louis Arena in 1984.

Retired Numbers

The Pistons have retired seven jersey numbers in honor of their players. Some of these include Isiah Thomas 11, Vinnie Johnson 15, Dave Bing 21 and Bill Laimbeer 40.