Joe Dumars

Joe Dumars
Joe Dumars III (born May 24, 1963), nicknamed Joe D, is a retired American 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.
Dumars was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Dumars' mother, 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.

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 "Bad Boys" 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.

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.
No. 4
Shooting guard
Personal information
Date of birth May 24, 1963 (age 48)
Place of birth Shreveport, Louisiana
Nationality American
High school Natchitoches Central
(Natchitoches, Louisiana)
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College McNeese State (1981–1985)
NBA Draft 1985 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Pro career 1985–1999
Career history
1985–1999 Detroit Pistons
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA Champion (1989–1990)
NBA Finals MVP (1989)
6× NBA All-Star (1990–1993, 1995, 1997)
All-NBA Second Team (1993)
2× All-NBA Third Team (1990–1991)
4× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1989–1990, 1992–1993)
NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1991)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1986)
J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1994)
NBA Sportsmanship Award (1996)
NBA Executive of the Year (2003)
#4 Retired by the Detroit Pistons