While Isiah Thomas and others were loud and brass Dumars was the opposite in his approach on the court. he became personally known for his quiet and upstanding behavior. He was the first recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award which has been named 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.
Drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft, he played guard for the Detroit Pistons for his entire career, from 1985 to 1999. He won two championships as a player in 1989 and 1990, and was voted the 1989 Finals MVP, averaging 27.3 points per game as the Pistons swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games. The following year, he won accolades during the Eastern Conference Finals when, with Dennis Rodman, he was a cornerstone of coach Chuck Daly‘s “Jordan Rules” defensive playbook, which forced the Chicago Bulls to change their offensive strategy to include less of Michael Jordan and more of the other members of the team. According to Jordan, Dumars was the best defender he ever faced in the NBA.
During his career, he was selected to the All-Star team six times, and to the All-Defensive first team four times. 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.
Smallthoughts: Old School Tuesday salutes …Joe Dumars
| Career highlights and awards | |
|---|---|
As Executive: |
|
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 16,401 (16.1 ppg) |
| Assists | 4,612 (4.5 apg) |
| Steals | 902 (0.9 spg) |
