Detroit Pistons: 15 players who defined the Bad Boys era

Joe Dumars became a well-known figure in recent years serving as the general manager of the Detroit Pistons — a job he found inconsistent success in. Yet many years before he was fielding calls on two phones at once, he was the All-Star wingman to Isiah Thomas in the Bad Boys’ backcourt.

His presence on the Bad Boys was something of an oxymoron, as Dumars was soft-spoken and respectful to everyone he met. Yet that did not stop him from playing with a relentlessness that everyone on the Bad Boys could accept.

While Dumars was a key starter for the Pistons’ first title team, it was in 1989-90 that he truly came into his own, scoring more points-per-game than Thomas for the first time. In the 1990-91 season, when Thomas missed half the year, Dumars cracked 20 points per game.

Perhaps the defining moment of Dumars’ career was Game 3 of the 1990 NBA Finals. After dropping Game 2 at home to the Trail Blazers the series shifted to Portland. Dumars went out and had the game of his career, dropping 33 points on Portland to steal back home court.

It was only after the game that his family informed him that before the game his father had passed away. His family had waited until after the game to tell him.

Dumars was selected in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Pistons, and he would play all 14 seasons of his career in Detroit — something no other Bad Boy could claim. When the title teams were broken up in the early 90s, only Dumars remained. He played through to the 1998-99 season and continuing to battle the Chicago Bulls.