Sports Poets Society

https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-isiah-thomas In 13 years with Detroit, Isiah Thomas became the franchise’s all-time leader in points, assists, steals and games played. From NBA.com Staff September 13, 2021 5:47 PM Isiah Thomas combined intelligence, court savvy and physical gifts to attain true NBA stardom. > Archive 75: Isiah Thomas | 75 Stories: Isiah Thomas Isiah Thomas was one of the greatest “small men” ever to play professional basketball. His only peer at point guard in the NBA during the 1980s was the Lakers’ Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who at 6-foot-9 brought unique physical skills to the position. Thomas, who stood barely over 6-feet, was in his day the grittiest performer to play the position, a feisty competitor who offered no quarter and expected none in return. Like Johnson, Thomas possessed the skill and determination to take over a game at will. Thomas helped build a last-place Detroit Pistons team into back-to-back NBA champions in the late 1980s. Thomas’ s...

https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-laimbeer The rugged big man known for his low-post defensive tactics was a key member of Detroit's title teams. From NBA.com Staff September 14, 2021 - 1:33 PM Bill Laimbeer was one of the NBA’s most rugged big men in the 1980s and early 1990s. Bill Laimbeer was one of the most notorious players ever to throw an elbow, thrust a hip, or feign being fouled . Certainly, no player was ever showered with more boos or unflattering nicknames. Laimbeer was called “the prince of darkness,” “a street thug,” “an ax murderer” and “His Heinous.” In 14 bruising NBA seasons Laimbeer made up for his minuscule vertical leap, slow feet, and sluggishness by becoming a master of posturing, muscling, and anticipating — plus fomenting trouble, pretending to be fouled, and drawing his opponents’ ire. Laimbeer always seemed to be nursing a brawl-induced shiner or broken nose. He was punched by some of the league’s best players, including Robert Parish, B...

Joe Dumars © Detroit Free Press-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Content Services LLC https://www.basketballnetwork.net/old-school/heartbreaking-story-of-joe-dumars-fathers-passing-during-the-1990-nba-finals The 1990 NBA Championship holds a special place in Joe Dumars' heart for various reasons. VIRGIL VILLANUEVA  - DEC 14, 20220 Joe Dumars’ second championship with the Detroit Pistons was a memorable win, not just because it was their second consecutive win. For Dumars, that 1990 NBA Championship trophy holds a special place in his heart because of what happened off the court, particularly regarding his father. A promise By Game 3 of the 1990 NBA Finals between the Pistons and the Portland Trail Blazers , Dumars’ father, Joe Dumars Jr., had been in the intensive care unit for two weeks. The Dumars patriarch had been suffering from diabetes and had his right leg amputated. The Pistons guard and his wife, Debbie, knew the inevitable was near, and they had prepared for it. “If Dad...

https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bob-lanier A graceful behemoth of a center, Bob Lanier was an elite big man in an era filled with them. From NBA.com Staff September 14, 2021 1:29 PM In his 14 seasons in the NBA, Bob Lanier averaged 20.1 and 10.1 rebounds per game. When Bob Lanier hung up his basketball shoes in 1984 after 14 years in the NBA, the eight-time All-Star joked that he did so only because the Milwaukee Bucks had finally found in Alton Lister another player who literally could fill his sneakers. It was no small feat: like Lanier, Lister took to the court in size 22 sneakers. One of the game’s greatest big men, Lanier was actually preceded into the Hall of Fame by a bronzed pair of his shoes, the biggest the NBA had ever seen. “A lot of people,” he noted in HOOP magazine, “can put both feet into one of my shoes.” Lanier excelled in an era of outstanding centers such as Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Willis Reed, Dave Cowens and Bill Walton. Despite his 6-fo...

https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-dennis-rodman-lost-68000-after-chuck-daly-resigned-pistons-star-was-livid-at-his-father-figure-leaving-detroit-as-he-didnt-show-up-for-training-camp/ Samir Mehdi | - Published 28/06/2022 Dennis Rodman was once fined $68,000 for missing the beginning of training camp after he realized that Chuck Daly had resigned.  Dennis Rodman came into the NBA not having much during his childhood and his teenage years. So, upon getting drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1986 and getting a steady income, Rodman felt as though he had made it. Even more enticing for him was the fact that the Pistons were exactly the type of team that he would mesh well with.  Hard-nosed, dirty players who were actually skilled and didn’t just knock players around coupled with the ultimate know-how of each other’s roles was where Dennis Rodman found a home. The team was led by a man who wanted his players to follow such principles; Chuck Daly.  ‘The Worm’ grew incredibly c...

https://www.mitchalbom.com/a-sad-farewell-to-the-heros-hero/ BY MITCH ALBOM | JUN 11, 1990 | DETROIT FREE PRESS | 0 COMMENTS PORTLAND, Ore. — He had been braced for this death for weeks now, calling the hospital, hoping against hope, even instructing his wife, Debbie, “If Dad dies during a game, I want you to promise me you’ll be the one to tell me, OK? And not until after the game is over. Just you, OK?” She promised. Now the game was over. Sweat was pouring off his arms and face. Joe Dumars took a last look at the scoreboard and walked off the court, happy the Pistons were back in this championship hunt. He could hardly wait to call home and tell them — and then his coach, Chuck Daly, pulled him aside. His wife was on the phone. This is a story about courage and effort and life and death — and perspective. Yes, Joe’s dad was always big on perspective. He had no legs, no mobility, but he had a heart as big as Louisiana, where he lived, and he passed it on to his son, and his son has...