04/19/24
March 14, 2009
Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson dies: Six months after he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson died Friday at the age of 86. Davidson became majority owner of the Pistons in 1974. He also owned Palace Sports & Entertainment and the WNBA's Detroit Shock. He owned the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning until 2008. Many thought he was crazy buying the majority interest of the Pistons. It was considered a dying franchise, playing before sparse crowds at Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit. It had its stars in Dave Bing and Bob Lanier, but NBA basketball never captivated any more than a niche interest in Detroit during those days. The Pistons were basically a laughingstock when Davidson purchased them. Davidson proved the doubters wrong, eventually turning the Pistons into one of professional sports' more profitable and more identifiable brand names.
posted by tommytrump to basketball at 03:42 PM - 3 comments
This tells me what kind of a man he was. I am a loyal Piston fan, even though I live in Pacer country, and I did not know who owned the Pistons. Not like Mark Cuban and others like him. He must have kept his hands off the team and let those who know (even if I think Joe Dumars made a mistake in the Iveson trade) run the program. I am sure he will be missed. Will remeber his family in prayer that the Lord will strengthen them during this time.
posted by coach at 05:29 PM on March 14, 2009
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posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:52 PM on March 15, 2009
Truly sad news. Bill Davidson was one of the better sports owners in the country, and seemed to be one of the most down-to-earth billionaires in the world. He'll be sorely missed...