Sports
Charlie Villanueva
born 1984 · basketball forward
Dominican-American stretch forward who spent five seasons with the Pistons on a five-year, 40-million-dollar contract signed in 2009.
- Born
Queens, New York
age 42- Birth name
- Charlie Alexander Villanueva Mejía
- Detroit years
- 2009–2014
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Villanueva signed with Detroit as a free agent in July 2009, brought in by Pistons president Joe Dumars alongside fellow free agent Ben Gordon as what Dumars called "key pieces" for the roster's rebuild after the Bad Boys and Chauncey Billups era. A versatile big man able to score from the post or the perimeter, he spent five seasons in Detroit through 2014, a stretch of rebuilding years for the franchise that included a memorable Twitter exchange after Boston's Kevin Garnett taunted him during a blowout loss. He also represented the Dominican Republic internationally. He later played for the Dallas Mavericks before retiring.
Highlights
- Signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Pistons in July 2009
- Played five seasons for Detroit, 2009–2014
- Represented the Dominican Republic national basketball team
- Drafted seventh overall by Toronto in 2005 before joining Detroit
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 2009–2014
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Demolished · 1988–2020
The Pistons' arena for his entire Detroit tenure; demolished in 2020.