Jason Maxiell to retire with the Pistons

After an eight-year career with the Detroit Pistons and stints with the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets, Jason Maxiell will sign a contract allowing him to retire as a Piston.

Jason Maxiell had a 10-year NBA career, the first eight seasons of which were spent with the Detroit Pistons. According to a release from the Pistons and Maxiell put forth today, he’ll sign a contract with the team that allows him to retire as a Piston.

"“The best years of my professional career were spent in Detroit and it’s important to me to retire as a Detroit Piston,” Maxiell said in the press release.  “This is a special franchise with great tradition and history.  I want to thank all the fans who supported me during my eight seasons representing Detroit.”"

An undersized power forward standing at just 6’7″, Maxiell was the 26th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2004-05 draft out of the University of Cincinnati. He played 523 games with the Pistons and averaged 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The Pistons went to the Eastern Conference Finals each of the first four years of his career and went 64-18 in his rookie season.

He became a regular part of the Pistons’ rotation by his third season, averaging almost 22 minutes per game in 2007-08. He started 29 games in 2009-10, 14 games in 2010-11, 42 of his 65 games in 2011-12, and he started all but one of the 72 games in which he appeared in 2012-13, his final year with the Pistons.

After Maxiell’s time with the Pistons came to an end, he moved on to the Orlando Magic in 2013-14 and the Charlotte Hornets in 2014-15. He’s been out of the league since the end of that season.

"“Jason and his representatives reached out to us regarding his desire to sign one last contract with the team in order to retire as a Detroit Piston,” general manager Jeff Bower said. “Jason made an impact on and off the court with the organization, spending eight seasons in Detroit, many with deep playoff runs. We’re pleased that Jason has chosen to remain connected to our organization and wish him well in the future.”"

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Maxiell was best know for his tough defense, and he is ninth all-time in Detroit Pistons’ franchise history with 426 blocks.