From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Medal record
Competitor for  United States
World Championships
Gold	1994 Canada	USA

Joe Dumars III (born May 24, 1963 in Shreveport, Louisiana), nicknamed Joe D, is a former basketball player in the NBA, and currently the Detroit Pistons' President of Basketball Operations. At 6'3" (190 cm) Dumars could play either shooting guard or point guard on offense and was a highly effective defender. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dumars and Isiah Thomas combined to form one of the best backcourts in NBA history. Initially a shooting guard, Dumars moved over to point guard following Thomas's retirement in 1994, sharing ball-handling duties with Grant Hill. Dumars was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Early life

Dumars was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Joe’s mom, Ophelia, was a custodian at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches while his father, Joe (Big Joe), was a truck driver.

Dumars grew up in an athletic family, but, surprisingly, basketball was not his favorite sport as a child. Football was more popular in the region and all five of his brothers were defensive standouts at Natchitoches Central High School. His brother David later played professional football in the USFL. Dumars followed in his brothers’ footsteps playing defensive back on the football team until junior high school when a big hit on the field directed him toward basketball. Ever the supportive father, Big Joe built a hoop, made of an old bicycle wheel and half of a wooden door, in the Dumars' backyard where Little Joe spent hours practicing his jumper.

Playing career

McNeese State University became the beneficiary of the bicycle hoop. During his four years in college, Dumars averaged 22.5 points per game, including 25.8 ppg as a senior - good for sixth in the nation. He finished his college career as the 11th leading scorer in NCAA history.

Drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft, he played guard for the Detroit Pistons for his entire career, from 1985 to 1999. He won two championships as a player in 1989 and 1990, and was voted the 1989 Finals MVP, averaging 27.3 points per game as the Pistons swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games. The following year, he won accolades during the Eastern Conference Finals when, with Dennis Rodman, he was a cornerstone of coach Chuck Daly's "Jordan Rules" defensive playbook, which forced the Chicago Bulls to change their offensive strategy to include less of Michael Jordan and more of the other members of the team. According to Jordan, Dumars was the best defender he faced in the NBA.

During his career, he was selected to the All-Star team six times, and to the All-Defensive first team four times. In 14 seasons, all with the Pistons, Dumars scored 16,401 points, handed out 4,612 assists, grabbed 2,203 rebounds and recorded 902 steals.

Although he was a member of the famed "Badboys" teams known for their aggressive play and demeanor, he became personally known for his quiet and upstanding behavior. He was the first recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award which has been named the "Joe Dumars Trophy".

His #4 jersey was retired by the Pistons in March 2000. He has the distinction as being the only Pistons player to ever wear this number.

He played for the US national team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal.^[1]

NBA Executive career

Dumars became the Pistons' President of Basketball Operations prior to the 2000–01 season. He was voted the league's Executive of the Year for the 2002-03 season and quietly went on to build the team that won the 2004 NBA Championship and became the 2005 NBA Eastern Conference Champions—doing so largely with players who had been discarded by other franchises. The Pistons made it to the Eastern Conference Finals six straight years (2003–2008) under Dumars' watch. This streak would come to an end in the 2008–09 season. The Pistons would get swept in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Notable trades

• Grant Hill, traded for Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace in 2000.
• Jerome Williams, traded for Corliss Williamson in 2001.
• Mateen Cleaves, traded for Jon Barry in 2001.
• Jud Buechler, traded for Clifford Robinson in 2001.
• Jerry Stackhouse, traded for Richard Hamilton in 2002.
• Michael Curry, traded for Lindsey Hunter in 2003.
• Zeljko Rebraca, Bob Sura, Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter and two first round picks, traded for Rasheed Wallace and Mike James in 2004; Hunter would return to the team a week later.
• Elden Campbell and a first round draft pick, traded for Carlos Arroyo in 2005; Campbell would return to the team later that season.
• Nazr Mohammed for Primož Brezec and Wálter Herrmann in 2007.
• Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheikh Samb traded for Allen Iverson on November 3, 2008; McDyess would return to the team one month later.

Notable draft picks

• Mehmet Okur in the second round with the 38th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.
• Tayshaun Prince in the first round with the 23rd overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.
• Darko Milicic in the first round with the 2nd overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. This pick would come back to haunt the Pistons, as it meant they passed on the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
• Jason Maxiell in the first round with the 26th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
• Rodney Stuckey in the first round with the 15th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
• Arron Afflalo in the first round with the 27th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Notable signings

• Chauncey Billups
• Antonio McDyess
• Chris Webber
• Will Bynum
• Ben Gordon
• Charlie Villanueva
• Rick Carlisle (coach)
• Larry Brown (coach)
• Flip Saunders (coach)

Business interests

Dumars was majority owner as well as CEO and President of Detroit Technologies for approximately 10 years. Founded by Dumars in 1996, DTI is an automotive supply company. He sold off his interest in the company in 2006 to pursue other business interests and focus on his role as Pistons' President of Basketball Operations. Dumars oversaw a joint venture deal in 2006 Between Detroit Technologies and TSI.

The Joe Dumars Fieldhouse, an indoor sports and entertainment facility, has two locations in the Metro-Detroit area: in Shelby Township at M-59 and Mound Road and in Detroit at the State Fairgrounds. In an interview with DBusiness magazine (link below), Dumars stated he was in talks to expand the fieldhouses to other states.

Currently, Dumars is on the board of Directors of the First Michigan Bank - a commercial bank located in Troy, Michigan, which is in the metropolitan Detroit area. With around $14 million in the vault, First Michigan Bank will service a cadre of small-business owners in metro Detroit who "have been neglected by the large, out-of-town financial institutions," according to a private placement memo the bank prepared for U.S. and state financial regulators.

References

External links

• Joe Dumars Info Page at NBA.com

• nba.com historical playerfile
• Joe Dumars Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
• Joe Dumars Historical Biography
• Joe Dumars Career Stats
• Complete list of transactions as Pistons GM