Detroit Pistons Arena

Before moving into the Palace of Auburn Hills, there were many places who called themselves the Detroit Pistons arena. None of them quite fit the team, though. First, there was Olympia Stadium, which was located at 5920 Grand River Avenue in Detroit from 1927 until it was demolished in 1986. It could seat over 16,000 people, but was clearly first and foremost a hockey venue. The Pistons played their from their inception until 1961, when they moved to Cobo Arena. Cobo Arena held fewer fans than Olympia, and at one time or another it was also home to four other collegiate or professional sports franchises. Like Olympia, Cobo was considered to be too small to be a proper home. In 1978, Pistons owner Bill Davidson rejected an offer to share Joe Louis Arena with the NHL's Red Wings hockey franchise. He wanted his own venue, and ultimately financed and built (mostly out of his own money) the Palace, which opened in 1988 and remains the home of Pistons basketball today.

Greatest Moments in Each Detroit Pistons Arena

In each of the various venues that have been the Detroit Pistons arena at one time or another, the team has enjoyed some special moments. While playing at Olympia Stadium, as a member of the National Basketball League, the Pistons won league championships in 1944 and 1945. While playing at Cobo Arena, Pistons teams featured three of the greatest players in basketball history -- Dave DeBusschere, who went on to be a Hall of Famer with the New York Knicks; Dave Bing, who remains one of the Pistons' all-time heading scorers; and Bob Lanier, who upon his retirement was the Detroit's all-time leader in scoring average with 22.7 points per game. And of course, the Palace has witnessed Hall of Famers and NBA Championships alike, with the Pistons of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars winning titles in 1989 and 1990, and more recently with Ben Wallace and Richard Hamilton winning it all in 2004.