Sports
Chauncey Billups
born 1976 · basketball player, point guard
Point guard nicknamed "Mr. Big Shot" who ran the Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship and was named Finals MVP; his No. 1 hangs in the rafters.
- Born
Denver, Colorado
age 50- Birth name
- Chauncey Ray Billups
- Also known as
- Mr. Big Shot
- Detroit years
- 2002–2008, 2013
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Billups had already played for four teams when Detroit signed him as a free agent in 2002 to run its offense. He quickly became the emotional leader of a defense-driven roster built around Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace, hitting clutch shots that earned him his nickname. In 2004 he directed the Pistons past the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers in five games to win the NBA championship and was named Finals MVP. Detroit returned to the Finals in 2005, losing a seven-game series to San Antonio, and reached the Eastern Conference finals six straight years under his leadership. Traded to Denver in 2008 in a deal that brought Allen Iverson to Detroit, Billups later returned briefly in 2013. The Pistons retired his No. 1 in 2016, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
Highlights
- Led the Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship as Finals MVP
- Five-time NBA All-Star during his Detroit years
- Reached the Eastern Conference finals six straight seasons with the Pistons
- No. 1 retired by the Pistons in 2016; Hall of Fame inductee in 2024
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 · 2002–2008, 2013
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Demolished · 1988–2020
Pistons' arena where Billups won the 2004 championship; demolished in 2020.