Joe Dumars III ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

executive and former player who is the executive vice president and head of basketball operations of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). He could play either

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...

on offense and was a highly effective defender. He played his entire fourteen-year career with the Detroit Pistons. 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 to point guard following Thomas' retirement in 1994, sharing ball-handling duties with Grant Hill. Dumars was inducted into the

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 2006. Dumars served as the president of basketball operations for the Pistons from 2000 to

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

Early life

Dumars was born in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...

. Dumars' mother, Ophelia, was a custodian at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches while his father, Joe Dumars Jr. (Big Joe), was a truck driver. Dumars grew up in an athletic family and he actually preferred football as a child, as all five of his brothers were defensive standouts at Natchitoches Central High School. His brother

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

later played professional football in the USFL. Dumars played defensive back on the football team until junior high school when a big hit on the field directed him toward basketball. His father built a hoop in the backyard, where Dumars would practice his jump shot.

Playing career

During his four years at McNeese State University, Dumars averaged 22.5 points per game, including 25.8 points per game 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 Charles Jerome Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009) was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to two consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in 1989 and 1990—during the team's "Bad Boys" era—a ...

's "

Jordan Rules The Jordan Rules were a successful defensive basketball strategy employed by the Detroit Pistons against Michael Jordan in order to limit his effectiveness in any game. Devised by Isiah Thomas in 1988, the Pistons' strategy was "to play him to ...

" 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 ever faced in the NBA. In the 1990 NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Dumars averaged 20.6 points, including 33 points in a pivotal Game 3 win that took place the same day his father had died. With his father's death imminent, Dumars had instructed his wife, Debbie, not to tell him any news about his condition until after the game. However, Debbie did tell Isiah Thomas, who told the rest of the team. After the game, Thomas spoke about an off-balance prayer Dumars tossed up that somehow went in the basket, saying his first thought was, "Your father put that one in, Joe." 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 number 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 since moving to Detroit. He played for the US national team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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, 82 , , 45 , , 23.9 , , .481 , , .313 , , .798 , , 1.5 , , 4.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 75 , , 30.9 , , .493 , , .409 , , .748 , , 2.1 , , 4.5 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 33.3 , , .472 , , .211 , , .815 , , 2.4 , , 4.7 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 67 , , 34.9 , , .505 , , .483 , , .850 , , 2.5 , , 5.7 , , .9 , , .1 , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 71 , , 34.4 , , .480 , , .400 , , .900 , , 2.8 , , 4.9 , , .8 , , .0 , , 17.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 38.1 , , .481 , , .311 , , .890 , , 2.3 , , 5.5 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 20.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 38.9 , , .448 , , .408 , , .867 , , 2.3 , , 4.6 , , .9 , , .1 , , 19.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 77 , , 40.2 , , .466 , , .375 , , .864 , , 1.9 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 23.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 69 , , 37.6 , , .452 , , .388 , , .836 , , 2.2 , , 3.8 , , .9 , , .1 , , 20.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 67 , , 67 , , 38.0 , , .430 , , .305 , , .805 , , 2.4 , , 5.5 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 18.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 67 , , 40 , , 32.7 , , .426 , , .406 , , .822 , , 2.1 , , 4.0 , , .6 , , .0 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 79 , , 37.0 , , .440 , , .432 , , .867 , , 2.4 , , 4.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 72 , , 32.3 , , .416 , , .371 , , .825 , , 1.4 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .0 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 38 , , 29.4 , , .411 , , .403 , , .836 , , 1.8 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .1 , , 11.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,018 , , 944 , , 34.5 , , .460 , , .382 , , .843 , , 2.2 , , 4.5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 16.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 6 , , 1 , , 16.3 , , .400 , , .333 , , .500 , , 1.2 , , 3.4 , , .2 , , .0 , , 5.7

Playoffs

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, 4 , , 4 , , 36.8 , , .610 , , , , .667 , , 3.3 , , 6.3 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1987 , style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 15 , , 31.5 , , .538 , , .667 , , .780 , , 1.3 , , 4.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1988 , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 23 , , 35.0 , , .457 , , .333 , , .889 , , 2.2 , , 4.9 , , .6 , , .1 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

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, 17 , , 17 , , 36.5 , , .455 , , .083 , , .861 , , 2.6 , , 5.6 , , .7 , , .1 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

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, 20 , , 20 , , 37.7 , , .458 , , .263 , , .876 , , 2.2 , , 4.8 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991 , style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 15 , , 39.2 , , .429 , , .405 , , .845 , , 3.3 , , 4.1 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 20.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 44.2 , , .471 , , .500 , , .789 , , 1.6 , , 3.2 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 41.0 , , .457 , , .357 , , 1.000 , , 4.3 , , 3.7 , , .0 , , .0 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 5 , , 5 , , 42.8 , , .361 , , .261 , , .950 , , 1.8 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 5 , , 5 , , 30.6 , , .487 , , .526 , , 1.000 , , 1.4 , , 2.6 , , .4 , , .0 , , 10.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 112 , , 112 , , 36.6 , , .462 , , .358 , , .855 , , 2.3 , , 4.6 , , .8 , , .1 , , 15.6

NBA executive career

Dumars became the Pistons' president of basketball operations prior to the start of 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. With the win, Dumars became the first African American executive to lead a team to an NBA championship. During the 2005–06 season, the Pistons had its best regular season record in franchise history (64–18). 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 when the Pistons were swept in the first round by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

. On February 9, 2014, Dumars fired Maurice Cheeks as head coach and appointed

John Loyer John Foster Loyer (born December 29, 1964) is an American basketball coach. Loyer graduated from Northmor High School in Galion, Ohio in 1983. Loyer was the leading scorer for Northmor as a senior. He played college basketball at the University ...

as interim head coach. On April 14, 2014, the Pistons announced that Dumars would step down as president of basketball operations, yet remain as an advisor to the organization and its ownership team. During his 14 years as President, Dumars guided the organization to a 595–536 (.527) regular-season record, 73 playoff wins, six Eastern Conference Finals appearances (2003–08), six Central Division titles, two Eastern Conference Championships (2004 and 2005), and the 2004 NBA championship. On June 21, 2019, Dumars was named special advisor to the general manager of the Sacramento Kings. On August 14, 2020, Dumars was named interim executive vice president of basketball operations. On September 17, 2020, he was named chief strategy officer.Kings Name Joe Dumars Chief Strategy Officer
/ref> On May 2, 2022, Dumars was named the executive vice president and head of basketball operations of the NBA.

Business interests

Dumars was majority owner as well as CEO and President of Detroit Technologies for approximately 10 years. Founded by Dumars in 1996, Detroit Technologies 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 is the founder and owner of the Joe Dumars Fieldhouse, an indoor sports and entertainment facility located in Shelby Township and

. The Shelby Township location permanently closed in August 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. In August 2017, Dumars joined Independent Sports & Entertainment, an integrated sports, media and entertainment management agency, as president of its basketball division.

References

External links

* *
Dumars historical biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumars, Joe 1963 births Living people 1994 FIBA World Championship players African-American basketball players African-American sports executives and administrators American men's basketball players American sports executives and administrators Basketball players from Detroit Basketball players from Shreveport, Louisiana Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons executives Detroit Pistons players FIBA World Championship-winning players McNeese State Cowboys basketball players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Natchitoches Central High School alumni National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association executives National Basketball Association general managers National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Shooting guards United States men's national basketball team players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Early life

Playing career

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

NBA executive career

Business interests

See also

References

External links