15 stars you forgot played for the Detroit Pistons
By Amaar Burton
7. Derrick Coleman
Off the court, Detroit native Derrick Coleman has made an immeasurable impact on the lives of countless members of his community. He has created food programs that serve families in need, has founded a youth basketball league, and has rallied some of his NBA brothers to purchase and deliver clean water to residents of Flint, Michigan, among other good deeds.
On the court, Coleman’s impact on his hometown Pistons was as faint of a blip on the radar as anyone who has ever donned a Detroit uniform.
The No. 1 pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, Coleman entered the league with expectations to become a game-changing power forward.
His ball-handling, passing and outside shooting ability were uncommon for the position at the time. One could argue that Coleman was a predecessor to superstars like Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber and Dirk Nowitzki, who are usually given the lion’s share of credit for changing the perception of the power forward.
Coleman wasn’t as successful in the league as those three, but he did have a relatively good NBA career. He won Rookie of the Year in 1991 with the New Jersey Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets). At his peak, D.C. was a 20-and-10 producer, earning two All-NBA selections and one All-Star nod. Coleman was also part of “Dream Team II” that won a gold medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championships.
Still, Coleman has gone down in history as a superb talent who failed to live up to his potential. He was plagued by injuries, but even worse for his legacy, he developed a reputation as a player who didn’t have a strong work ethic and was more interested in money than winning.
Coleman made his last NBA stop with his hometown Pistons.
At 37 years old, he appeared in only five games during the 2004-05 season, averaging 1.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 10 minutes per game. He was waived during the season. Perhaps his last memorable moment in the NBA was his involvement in the “Malice at the Palace” brawl between the Pistons and Indiana Pacers. Coleman was suspended for one game following the incident.