Joe Dumars

A pillar of sportsmanship and one of the NBA's greatest defensive players, Joe Dumars played his entire professional career, 14 seasons, with the Detroit Pistons. Drafted in 1985 out of McNeese State, the Pistons would make three NBA Finals appearances within the next six seasons winning the franchise's first title in 1989 and a second in 1990. The MVP of the 1989 NBA Finals averaged nearly 28 points per game that series, sparking Detroit's sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. Dumars went on to dominate the Pistons record books ranking first in games played (1,018) and three-point field goals made (990) and second in scoring (16,401), assists (4,612), and steals (902). Dumars was also a member of the gold-medal USA Basketball World Championships team in 1994, the same year he tied an NBA record hitting ten 3-pointers in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He subsequently received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for community involvement. A true leader in basketball circles, Dumars served as a mentor to NBA rookies and others for his classy demeanor and is the namesake for the NBA's sportsmanship award.