Joe Dumars facts for kids
Dumars in 2005
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| New Orleans Pelicans | ||||||||||||||
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| President of basketball operations | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | May 24, 1963 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| High school | Natchitoches Central (Natchitoches, Louisiana) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | McNeese State (1981–1985) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1985 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1985–1999 | |||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1985–1999 | Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
As player:
As executive:
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 16,401 (16.1 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 2,203 (2.2 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 4,612 (4.5 apg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Joe Dumars III, born on May 24, 1963, is an American basketball expert. He used to be a professional basketball player. Today, he is the head of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Dumars was a great player who could play as a shooting guard or a point guard. He was also a very strong defender. He played his entire 14-year career with the Detroit Pistons. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dumars and Isiah Thomas formed one of the best backcourt duos in NBA history. They won two championships together. Joe Dumars was honored by being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
After Isiah Thomas retired in 1994, Dumars moved from shooting guard to point guard. He shared ball-handling duties with Grant Hill. From 2000 to 2014, Dumars worked as the president of basketball operations for the Pistons. He helped the team win another championship in 2004, this time as an executive.
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Early Life and Family
Joe Dumars was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. His mother, Ophelia, worked as a custodian at Northwestern State University. His father, Joe Dumars Jr., was a truck driver.
Dumars grew up in a family that loved sports. When he was a child, he actually preferred football. All five of his brothers were strong defensive players at Natchitoches Central High School. His brother David even played professional football later on. Joe played defensive back in football until junior high. After a big hit on the field, he decided to focus on basketball. His father built a hoop in their backyard, where Joe practiced his jump shot.
College Basketball Career
Joe Dumars played basketball for four years at McNeese State University. During his time there, he averaged 22.5 points per game. In his senior year, he scored 25.8 points per game, which was the sixth-highest in the nation. He finished his college career as one of the top scorers in NCAA history.
Professional Basketball Career
Playing for the Detroit Pistons (1985–1999)
The Detroit Pistons chose Joe Dumars as the 18th pick in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft. He played guard for the Pistons for his entire career, from 1985 to 1999. In his first year, he became the team's starting shooting guard. He was named to the 1985–86 NBA All-Rookie first team, which means he was one of the best new players that year.
Dumars helped the Pistons win two NBA championships as a player. They won in 1989 and again in 1990. In the 1988–89 season, he scored over 17 points per game and had a career-high 5.7 assists per game. The Pistons won a team record of 63 games that year. They went through the playoffs easily and faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals for the second year in a row. Dumars was named the 1989 Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). He averaged 27.3 points per game as the Pistons swept the Lakers in four games.
In the 1990 playoffs, Dumars was praised for his defense in the Eastern Conference Finals. He and Dennis Rodman were key parts of coach Chuck Daly's "Jordan Rules" defense. This strategy made the Chicago Bulls change their offense to rely less on Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan himself said that Dumars was the best defender he ever played against in the NBA.
In the 1990 NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Dumars averaged 20.6 points. In a very important Game 3, he scored 33 points. This game happened on the same day his father passed away. Dumars had told his wife not to tell him any news about his father until after the game. However, his wife told Isiah Thomas, who then told the rest of the team. After the game, Thomas said that a difficult shot Dumars made seemed to go in because, "Your father put that one in, Joe."
During his career, Dumars was chosen for the All-Star team six times. He was also named to the All-Defensive first team four times. He led the Pistons in points per game for four straight seasons, from 1990–91 to 1993–94. In the 1992–93 season, Dumars set career highs with 1,809 points and 23.5 points per game. He also played a career-high 40.2 minutes per game. In his 14 seasons, all with the Pistons, Dumars scored 16,401 points, made 4,612 assists, grabbed 2,203 rebounds, and had 902 steals.
Even though he was part of the "Bad Boys" Pistons teams, known for their tough play, Dumars was known for being quiet and well-behaved. He received the first NBA Sportsmanship Award in the 1995–96 season. In 2000, this award was renamed the Joe Dumars Trophy in his honor.
The Pistons retired his number 4 jersey in March 2000. He is the only Pistons player to ever wear this number since the team moved to Detroit.
Dumars also played for the US national team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship. His team won the gold medal.
Executive Career in Basketball
Leading the Detroit Pistons (2000–2014)
Joe Dumars became the president of basketball operations for the Pistons before the 2000–01 season. He was named the league's Executive of the Year for the 2002–03 season. He then built the team that won the 2004 NBA championship. With this win, Dumars became the first African-American executive to lead a team to an NBA championship.
In the 2005–06 season, the Pistons had their best regular season record ever, with 64 wins and 18 losses. Under Dumars' leadership, the Pistons reached the Eastern Conference Finals six years in a row, from 2003 to 2008. This impressive streak ended in the 2008–09 season when the Pistons lost in the first round of the playoffs.
On February 9, 2014, Dumars made a change by firing Maurice Cheeks as head coach. He then appointed John Loyer as the temporary head coach. On April 14, 2014, the Pistons announced that Dumars would step down as president of basketball operations. He continued to work as an advisor to the team's owners. During his 14 years as President, Dumars led the team to a strong record. They had 595 regular-season wins and 73 playoff wins. They also made it to six Eastern Conference Finals, won six Central Division titles, and won two Eastern Conference Championships. Of course, they also won the 2004 NBA championship.
Working with the Sacramento Kings (2019–2022)
On June 21, 2019, Dumars was named a special advisor to the general manager of the Sacramento Kings. On August 14, 2020, he became the interim executive vice president of basketball operations. Then, on September 17, 2020, he was named chief strategy officer for the Kings.
Role at the NBA League Office (2022–2025)
On May 2, 2022, Dumars was appointed executive vice president and head of basketball operations for the NBA. In this important role, he oversaw all basketball-related matters for the league. This included creating and interpreting playing rules, handling player conduct and discipline, and setting policies for how games are run.
Joining the New Orleans Pelicans (2025–Present)
On April 16, 2025, Joe Dumars was hired as the president of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Business Ventures
Joe Dumars was the main owner, CEO, and President of Detroit Technologies for about 10 years. He started this automotive supply company in 1996. In 2006, he sold his share in the company to focus on other business interests and his role with the Pistons.
Dumars also founded and owned the Joe Dumars Fieldhouse. This was an indoor sports and entertainment center with locations in Shelby Township and Detroit, Michigan. The Shelby Township location closed permanently in August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The original Detroit location closed in May 2022.
In August 2017, Dumars joined Independent Sports & Entertainment. This is a company that manages sports, media, and entertainment. He became the president of its basketball division.
See also
In Spanish: Joe Dumars para niños
- Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
