Sports
Theo Ratliff
born 1973 · basketball player
Shot-blocking center whom the Pistons drafted in 1995 and briefly brought back in 2008, part of a 16-season NBA career.
- Born
Demopolis, Alabama
age 53- Birth name
- Theophalus Curtis Ratliff
- Detroit years
- 1995–1998, 2008
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
The Pistons drafted Theo Ratliff 18th overall in 1995 out of Wyoming, and he played two and a half seasons in Detroit, mostly off the bench, before being traded to Philadelphia, where new coach Larry Brown made him a starter. One of the NBA's premier shot-blockers, he led the league in blocks per game three times over his sixteen-season career. In February 2008 Minnesota waived him and Detroit brought him back for the stretch run, returning him to the playoffs for the first time since 2000 as the Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
Highlights
- Drafted 18th overall by the Pistons in 1995
- Played for Detroit 1995–1998, mostly off the bench
- Rejoined the Pistons in March 2008 for a playoff run to the Eastern Conference finals
- Led the NBA in blocks per game three times over his career
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 · 1995–1998, 2008
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Demolished · 1988–2017
His home court across both Detroit stints.