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 (appro ...

executive and former player who is the head of basketball operations for the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. 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 basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

on offense and was a highly effective defender. He played his entire 14-year career with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dumars and

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

combined to form one of the best backcourts in NBA history, winning two championships together. 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 pres ...

in 2006. Initially a shooting guard, Dumars moved to point guard following Thomas’ retirement in 1994, sharing ball-handling duties with

Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a part-owner of Orlando City SC of Major League ...

. Dumars served as the president of basketball operations for the Pistons from

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, winning a third championship as an executive in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Early life

Dumars was born in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. Dumars' mother, Ophelia, was a custodian at

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSULA) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville, Louisiana, Leesville/Fort Jo ...

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") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

later played professional football in the

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

. 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.

College 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.

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (1985–1999)

Drafted 18th overall in the first round of the

1985 NBA draft The 1985–86 NBA season, 1985 NBA draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA draft of the "NBA draft lottery, lottery" era. It was also around this time where the league decreased the amount of rounds the draft spent, with the ...

, he played guard for the Detroit Pistons for his entire career, from 1985 to 1999. In his rookie campaign, he took over as the Pistons starting shooting guard roughly midway through the season, replacing incumbent starter John Long. He was named to the 1985–86 NBA All-Rookie first team. Dumars won two NBA championships as a player in 1989 and 1990. In the 1988–89 regular season, he averaged over 17 points per game on 50.5% field goal shooting, while dishing out a career-high 5.7 assists per game as the Pistons posted a then-team record 63 wins. They cruised through the playoffs and faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals for a second straight year. Dumars was voted the 1989 Finals

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

, after averaging 27.3 points per game during the Pistons four-game sweep of the Lakers. In the 1990 postseason, Dumars won accolades during the Eastern Conference Finals when, with

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

, he was a cornerstone of coach Chuck Daly's " Jordan Rules" defensive playbook, which forced the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

to change their offensive strategy to include less of

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

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 The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

, 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 An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

team six times, and to the All-Defensive first team four times. He led the Pistons in points per game four straight seasons (1990–91 through 1993–94). The 1992–93 season saw Dumars set career highs in points (1,809) and points per game (23.5) while averaging a career-high 40.2 minutes per game. 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 recipient of the first NBA Sportsmanship Award for the 1995–96 season. In 2000, this award was renamed 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 the team moved to Detroit. He played for the US national team in the

1994 FIBA World Championship The 1994 FIBA World Championship was the 12th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Canada from August 4 to 14, 1994. The tournament was held at SkyDome ...

, winning the gold medal.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 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 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

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, 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;",

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

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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;",

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

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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 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

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

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

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

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

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

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

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

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 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

Executive career

Detroit Pistons (2000–2014)

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

. On February 9, 2014, Dumars fired

Maurice Cheeks Maurice Edward Cheeks (born September 8, 1956) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as head coach of ...

as head coach and appointed John Loyer 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.

Sacramento Kings (2019–2022)

On June 21, 2019, Dumars was named special advisor to the general manager of the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. On August 14, 2020, Dumars was named interim executive vice president of basketball operations. On September 17, 2020, he was named chief strategy officer.

NBA League Office (2022–2025)

On May 2nd 2022, Dumars was named executive vice president and head of basketball operations for the NBA. This role consisted of overseeing all Basketball Operations matters for the NBA, including the development of playing rules and interpretations, conduct and discipline, and policies and procedures relating to the operation of games.

New Orleans Pelicans (2025–present)

On April 16, 2025, Dumars was hired as the president of basketball operations for the

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 the Pistons' president of basketball operations. Dumars was 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, with the original location in Detroit closing in May 2022. 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 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 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 Cowboys basketball players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Natchitoches Central High School alumni NBA All-Stars NBA executives NBA general managers NBA players with retired numbers Shooting guards United States men's national basketball team players

Early life

College career

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (1985–1999)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Executive career

Detroit Pistons (2000–2014)

Sacramento Kings (2019–2022)

NBA League Office (2022–2025)

New Orleans Pelicans (2025–present)

Business interests

See also

References

External links