The Detroit Pistons finally made headlines for the right reasons in the 2024-25 NBA season. After suffering a franchise-worst record in the 2023-24 season, the Pistons increased their win total from 14 to 44 and returned to the postseason.
The team also ended a drought of playoff wins that dated back to 2008.
And while the Pistons fell in six games to the New York Knicks in the opening round of the 2025 playoffs, the series remained competitive throughout. For many Detroit basketball fans, it was a return to the standard of play associated with the team for much of its history.
Since the franchise moved to Detroit in 1957, several notable players have put on a Pistons jersey. The team has 11 retired jersey numbers, one of the highest totals in the NBA, and a few other key members of the organization. Let’s take a look:
No. 1: Chauncey Billups
Billups, who earned the moniker “Mr. Big Shot” during his time in Detroit for hitting clutch shots, saw his jersey retired by the team in 2016. Billups spent part of eight seasons with the Pistons, signed as a free agent in 2002 before being traded for another Hall of Fame guard, Allen Iverson, two games into the 2008-09 season. Billups returned to Detroit for his final season in 2013-14.
Billups helped lead the Pistons to the franchise’s third NBA title in 2004, winning Finals MVP as the Pistons took down a Los Angeles Lakers team which featured Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone. Billups with the Pistons was a three-time All-Star (2006-08), two-time All-NBA selection and two-time All-Defense. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
No. 2: Chuck Daly
Daly is the lone coach in Pistons history to have a jersey number retired for him. Daly was the coach of the Pistons during the franchise’s Bad Boys era, which saw them win back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990.
Daly coached the Pistons from 1983-92. His 467 wins are the most by any coach in franchise history. The Pistons retired the No. 2 for Daly in 1997 in honor of the two titles the team won under his watch. He was a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 1994.
Pistons fans who’ve tuned into the team in recent years of course know star guard Cade Cunningham has worn the No. 2 jersey since being drafted in 2021. Daly’s family gave Cunningham their blessing to wear the number, which Cunningham wore in college. Daly died in 2009 at the age of 78.
No. 3: Ben Wallace
Wallace earned the “Big Ben” nickname for his dominance on the glass and the defensive block — he is one of three players in league history to be named Defensive Player of the Year four different times, along with Rudy Gobert and Dikembe Mutombo.
But unlike Mutombo and Gobert, Wallace did not stand over seven feet tall. Listed at 6-9, Wallace was considered diminutive by NBA big man standards. That didn’t matter, as Wallace remained an intimidating force as a rim protector, swatting 1,486 shots for the most in Pistons history.
Wallace’s first stint with Detroit ran from 2000-06, when he was part of the Goin’ to Work squad that captured the 2004 title. He rejoined the franchise in 2009 until he retired in 2012. Wallace was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2021. Like his longtime teammate Billups, Wallace’s jersey number was retired in 2016.
No. 4: Joe Dumars
Dumars was a key part of all three of the Pistons’ championships, the first two as a player and the third as an executive. He was a dogged defender on the Bad Boy title teams, pairing with Isiah Thomas to make up a Hall of Fame backcourt.
After being drafted 18th overall in 1985 out of McNeese State, Dumars spent all 14 years of his playing career with the Pistons. He was named an All-Star six times and was selected for All-Defensive teams on five occasions. His 1,018 games played for Detroit is a franchise record.
Dumars retired in 1999, and became the Pistons president of basketball operations in 2000, a position he held until 2014. As the team’s top executive, he crafted the title-winning Goin’ to Work squad, notably acquiring Rasheed Wallace at the 2004 trade deadline to help cement the team as a contender.
His No. 4 jersey was hung in the rafters in 2000. Dumars was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 2006.
No. 10: Dennis Rodman
Rodman was another key member of the Bad Boys, establishing a presence as an anchor on the defensive end and the glass. A second-round draft pick (No. 27 overall) by the Pistons in 1986, Rodman spent the first seven years of his career in the Motor City and was instrumental in their two NBA championships.
He won Defensive Player of the Year twice in Detroit. He also won three more titles with the Chicago Bulls in 1996-98, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. The Pistons retired his No. 10 in 2011.
No. 11: Isiah Thomas
Almost universally viewed as the greatest player in franchise history, Thomas was the heart and soul of the Bad Boys. He spent his entire 13-year career in Detroit, and was an all star in 12 of those seasons. Despite retiring in 1994, Thomas remains the Pistons’ all time leader in points, assists and steals.
Thomas was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, and remains a vocal proponent of the Bad Boy teams and the era of basketball they played in. Social media users may occasionally see Thomas post on X to correct the record about misconceptions of the NBA in the 1980s. The Pistons hung up Thomas’ No. 11 in 1996.
No. 15: Vinnie Johnson
Nicknamed “The Microwave” for his ability to heat up and score coming off the bench, Johnson was another vital part of the Bad Boy teams. He spent ten seasons in Detroit, and was a one-time runner up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, given to the best player who comes off their team’s bench.
He earned his “Microwave” moniker during the 1985 playoffs, when he scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to spark a comeback win against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. His NBA-title winning jumper in 1990 to finish off a 15-point fourth quarter is one of the sport’s most clutch performances ever. The Pistons retired Johnson’s No. 15 in 1994.
No. 16: Bob Lanier
The Pistons took Lanier first overall in the 1970 draft out of St. Bonaventure, and Lanier (6-11, 250) was a force on the block. As a Piston, Lanier was a seven-time All-Star. His presence dots Pistons history — he’s second in franchise history for field goals made, third in rebounds, fourth in blocks and his 22.7 points per game is the franchise’s best-ever mark.
Lanier, a Hall of Fame inductee in 1992, saw his No. 16 retired by the Pistons in 1993. He died in 2022 at the age of 73.
No. 21: Dave Bing
The Pistons selected Bing with the second overall pick in the 1966 draft out of Syracuse, and the guard made a near immediate impact. Bing won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1967. The next season, he was an All-Star and finished fourth in Most Valuable Player voting, when he averaged a career-best 27.1 points per game.
Bing spent nine seasons with the Pistons and was an All-Star six times. He also was a two-time first-team All-NBA selection during his Pistons career. Bing was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Pistons raised his No. 21 to the rafters in 1983.
Bing was Detroit mayor from 2009-14.
No. 32: Richard “Rip” Hamilton
Hamilton was another key part of the 2004 champs. He was acquired in a 2002 trade with the Washington Wizards, with Detroit sending the high-scoring Jerry Stackhouse the other way. In his nine seasons with the Pistons, Hamilton erased any doubts about the trade, making three All-Star teams and averaging 18.4 points per game with the franchise.
The Pistons retired Hamilton’s No. 32 in 2017. Perhaps more iconic than his number was Hamilton’s clear facemask, which he started wearing during the 2003-04 season after breaking his nose twice.
No. 40: Bill Laimbeer
Another face of the Bad Boys era, Laimbeer joined the Pistons in his second NBA season in 1982 after being traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He spent 12½ seasons with the Pistons before retiring in 1994. Along with two titles, Laimbeer was a four-time All-Star. He’s the franchise’s all-time leading rebounder.
Laimbeer was an enforcer for the Pistons, never afraid to pick up a foul to send a message to any opposing player looking for an easy bucket. Laimbeer holds the distinction as the player with the most personal fouls in Pistons history.
The team retired his No. 40 in 1995. Laimbeer was a first-time Hall of Fame nominee in 2023.
Banner for Jack McCloskey, GM of the Bad Boys
Along with 11 retired jersey numbers, the Pistons have also raised banners to commemorate other key franchise figures. One banner honors Jack McCloskey, raised in March 2008. “Trader Jack” spent 13 years as the Pistons’ general manager from 1979 to 1992, overseeing the franchise’s first two champions. He died in 2017 at 91 years old.
Banner for former Pistons owner Bill Davidson
Another banner represents late longtime owner Bill Davidson, who bought the team for $6 million in 1974 and was the franchise’s principal owner until his death in 2009 at 86.
Davidson, a noted philanthropist, was the owner for all three of the Pistons’ NBA championships (1989, 1990, 2004). He moved the team to the Silverdome in Pontiac in 1978, and to the Palace of Auburn Hills in 1988, when they immediately won back-to-back titles.
Whose number could the Pistons retire next?
The Pistons haven’t retired a jersey since honoring Hamilton in 2017, but there are a few candidates who could see their names immortalized in franchise history next.
Grant Hill
Starred for the Pistons from 1994-2000 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Hill was named NBA Rookie of the Year, and made the All-Star team in five of his six seasons in Detroit. Although he didn’t have the team success that players from the Bad Boys or Goin’ to Work eras had — his Pistons teams were 0-4 in playoff series — he finished top 10 in MVP voting every year with Detroit after his rookie season. At home games at Little Caesars Arena, Hill’s No. 33 jersey (the teal one, in particular) is a familiar sight. The Pistons could justify retiring Hill’s jersey based off his individual success like they did with Lanier and Bing, although the latter two each had longer tenures in Detroit.
Dave DeBusschere
Spent seven seasons with the Pistons in the 1960s, and was a three-time All-Star during that span. DeBusschere’s No. 22 was retired by the other franchise he starred for, the New York Knicks, but DeBusschere has ties to Detroit. He was born in the city, and played for Detroit Mercy before being drafted fourth overall by the Pistons in 1962. DeBusschere also holds the distinction as the youngest coach in NBA history — when he was 24, then-Pistons owner Fred Zollner appointed him as player-coach during the 1964-65 season. DeBusschere was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983. Honoring DeBusschere, who died in 2003, could serve as a nod to the Pistons’ pre-Bad Boys history.
Rasheed Wallace
Dumars traded for Wallace at the 2004 deadline. ‘Sheed is credited by many as the piece which put the Pistons over the top on the way to the title that year. He wore both No. 30 and No. 36 as a Piston while making the All-Star team twice from 2004-09. The Pistons made the conference finals in the first five of those years, and his brash swagger remains beloved by fans.
Tayshaun Prince
Perhaps the last player from the 2004 title team that has an argument for being honored by the Pistons. He was a Pistons draft pick in 2002 and played his final game for the team in 2015. Prince is fifth all-time in team history for games played at 792.
Prince lacks the individual accolades that most of the team’s other honorees can claim, but he claims one of the team’s signature moments — during Game 2 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, Prince made a chase-down block, denying the Indiana Pacers’ Reggie Miller a game-tying basket in the final minute. The Pistons won the game, tying the series at a game apiece. The Pistons eventually bested Indiana in six games, but if Prince hadn’t made the block, they could have fallen into a 2-0 hole. Like with Johnson, the Pistons could honor Prince for an iconic play and retire his No. 22.
George Blaha
The Pistons’ longtime play-by-play broadcaster could be the next non-player to be recognized by the franchise. 2025-26 will mark Blaha’s 50th season calling Pistons games. He’s been the voice of all three of the franchise’s championships, and was awarded the 2025 Curt Gowdy Media Award for electronic media, the most-prestigious honor from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons have retired 11 jersey numbers in history. Who’s next?