Chauncey Billups will have his jersey number retired by the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Take a look at his storied Pistons career as he celebrates his one big night.
“Mr. Big Shot” will have a big night at The Palace as the Detroit Pistons will retire his jersey on Wednesday night. As if it wasn’t already a great honor, his number will be retired the same night as his hometown Denver Nuggets are playing the team he won an NBA Championship with. Billups most recently attended Ben Wallace‘s jersey retirement celebration on Jan. 16.
Now it’s Billups’ turn after earning his nickname for knocking down clutch shots, notably in playoff games. He first joined the Pistons for the 2002-03 season. As that season started, Billups was playing for his fifth team in six seasons, including a stint with his hometown Nuggets. As one would probably expect, Billups made a name for himself in the Motor City.
Billups started 70 games in his rookie season with the Boston Celtics, the team that drafted him third overall in the 1997 draft, and the Toronto Raptors. He wouldn’t reach that mark until the Pistons took a chance on him. For the six consecutive seasons that Billups was in Detroit, he started 70 or more games in all six seasons. With consistent playing time came consistent play from the talented point guard.
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Billups could hold his own on the defensive end, but he was given a nickname that shows the significance of his offensive game. He thrived on the offensive end, which is what the Pistons needed from him. The Pistons had a rim protector, Ben Wallace, and good perimeter defenders, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, so Billups could really focus on being great offensively.
Great on offense he was. Billups totaled 54 offensive win shares in his Pistons career. He also had an Offensive Box Plus/Minus rating of 5.2. Billups took care of the basketball and was an efficient passer. He had an assist rate of 31.3 and a turnover rate of 12.9. He wasn’t always the go-to scorer, but when he was called upon he had a true shooting percentage of 58.9 percent.
Billups isn’t the high-volume scorer that today’s point guards show, but he was one of the first point guards with a scorers mentality. With the Pistons he saw his scoring increase from 12.5 with the Minnesota Timberwolves to 16.2 in his first season with the Pistons. He would eventually top out at 18.5 points per game with the Pistons in the 2005-06 season.
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Even more impressive is that his scoring increased with his assist totals. In his first season with the Pistons he averaged 16.2 points and 3.9 assists. Head coaches Larry Brown and Flip Saunders helped Billups improve steadily and eventually maxed out Billups’ scoring in passing to 18.5 points and 8.6 assists per game during the 2005-06 season. Chauncey steadily improved as a passer and a scorer, but he also elevated his game in big moments.
In his first season with the Pistons, Billups quickly earned his reputation as a clutch shooter. He was nicknamed “Mr. Big Shot” after making two, long-range three-pointers in a span of two weeks. His clutchness also carried into the playoffs, where he helped lead the Pistons to the NBA Finals in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. When the Pistons won the Finals during the 03-04 season, Billups was named NBA Finals MVP.
Billups jerseys are often seen at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Pistons home. He became a fan-favorite with the way he played and being an instrumental part to the Pistons success in the mid-2000s. It’s with good measure, too. Billups racked up quite the amount of accolades and awards.
With the Pistons alone, Billups was named to three All-Star teams, made the All-NBA team three times and the All-Defensive second team twice. But it all stemmed from the team’s success.
Billups was a co-captain for the 2005-06 season in which the Pistons recorded a franchise-best 64-18 record. In six seasons with the Pistons, the team made six Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA finals.
Billups wore number four during his college career with the Colorado Buffaloes. When he signed with the Pistons he wanted to continue wearing number four, but that number was retired to honor Joe Dumars. Billups ended up taking the number one and the rest is history.
Billups suffered a shoulder injury early in his career and it was thought that he was going to be a bust. Following that time, the Timberwolves ended up taking a shot on Billups before he joined the Pistons. Perhaps the Wolves are to thank for taking a chance on Chauncey.
It should be noted that the late head coach Flip Saunders took that chance on Billups in Minnesota but when they couldn’t afford to re-sign him, Billups signed a six-year deal with Detroit. Saunders would later become the head coach in 2005 and led the Pistons to the franchise’s best record, led by Billups.
Billups re-signed with the Pistons at the tail end of his career, but only played 19 games in the 2013-14 season. He was forced to retire due to an injury but the talented point guard will be remembered for leading the Pistons in the glory days.
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Unfortunately, the game is on a Wednesday night. Fans may stay home and watch the ceremony from the comfort of their living room if they have young children that may have school the next day. There are plenty of seats available on StubHub.com and tickets are currently as low as $45.99 for a family of four to sit in the Upper Level Center sections.
Regardless of how many people are in the stands, Billups will be honored by those who are there and many watching the ceremony on television.