basketball player
Personal Information
Born in Natchitoches, LA, May 23, 1963; son of Ophelia, father deceased (1990); married Debbie; children: Aren, Jordan.
Education: McNeese State University, 1981-85.
Career
Detroit Pistons, guard, 1985--. Joe Dumars Fieldhouse, owner, 1995--. Joe Dumars Foundation, charity founder, 1993.
Life's Work
Joe Dumars set out to become a football player as a child, following in the footsteps of his brothers. However, after being roughly tackled in junior high school, Joe decided to pursue basketball, which proved to be a very wise move. In eighth grade Joe was able to secure pick-up games with nearby Northwestern State University students. During his youth, Joe's favorite basketball player was Julius Irving, whom Joe had the good fortune of playing against in his second NBA season and Irving's last. While Joe felt he had more ability in football, he excelled in basketball, enjoying the fact that he could play it alone.
As the youngest of seven children, Joe recalls his parents requiring certain behavior such as common courtesy and respect for others,and he always considered his parents as heroes. Joe's mother was a custodian and his father a truck driver. Young Joe walked to and from elementary school with his siblings in southern Louisiana, where Joe first learned to love reading. Joe remains an enthusiastic reader of all subjects. Joe's basketball talent blossomed along with his reading and, by the time he reached high school, he was a solid team player.
College recruiters spotted Joe and many large schools offered him a chance to play; however, Joe chose the nearby McNeese State University, well-known for football, where he majored in Business Management and remained close to his family. Joe was also tempted by the chance to play college ball immediately for the smaller university, where Joe began as a starting guard, quickly establishing himself as the team's best player and winning the Southland Conference Rookie of the year in 1981-82.
Joe's consistent college record for game points and team wins resulted in his being drafted #18 in the first round for the Detroit Pistons in 1985. Dumars left McNeese as the 11th leading scorer in NCAA history. However, the Pistons did not draft Dumars to score, but rather, as a back-up to point guard Isiah Thomas. Even though Dumars wanted to score, he graciously filled the position where he was most needed. Because the Pistons needed a defensive player, Dumars focused on that as a rookie, even though he realized it would take him longer to realize his own dreams in the NBA. Even though he suffered a serious injury which required surgery and sidelined him for 12 games after he broke his hand during a game against the New York Knicks, Joe returned to play after only three weeks. By the start of the 1988-89 season, the Pistons were ready for all of Dumars's abilities, and he scored, passed, and played as good a defense as any player in the league. In one of his best games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Joe scored 42 points, 24 of which were in the third quarter, making 17 consecutive points.
Though touted as one of basketball's top defensive guards, Joe soon received increased attention for his offensive abilities. By the 1988-89 season, the Pistons made it to the NBA Finals, where Joe, sporting number 4 on his uniform, was largely responsible for the team's 1989 championship win against the Los Angeles Lakers. In Los Angeles, Dumars shifted into overdrive, winning the third game for the Pistons where, during the third quarter of the game, he scored 17 points in a row, never missing. Viewers kept waiting for him to miss and it was scary the way he never did. Detroit swept the series in four straight games, with Dumars averaging 27.3 points per game--58% shooting from the field. This was Detroit's first NBA title, for which Joe was named the Most Valuable Player. To win this NBA title, the Pistons needed someone to step forward on offense to take some load off Isiah Thomas, and this someone proved to be Joe Dumars. Thereafter, the Pistons were known as "The Bad Boys," though Dumars humbly played oftentimes without the fame and glory received by some of his teammates, much to the chagrin of his fellow players. Isiah Thomas once complained that the credit was given to other guards in the league, while failing to mention Dumars, whom Isiah feels is one of the best guards in the league. Indeed, Dumars scored almost as many points per game as Thomas during the 1988-89 season.
Joe Dumars and the Pistons, no longer underrated, went on to another league title in 1989-90, this time with Isiah Thomas starring in the defeat of Portland. No longer seen just as a defensive player, Dumars showed his talent and firepower in the offense as well. As an established star, Joe again succeeded in scoring and guarding, helping the Pistons to win this second championship, resulting in Joe's being selected for the All-Star team, a first in his career.
Loyal to his teammates and his profession, despite his strong family ties, Joe decided to remain with his team in Portland, Oregon for two games of the NBA Finals before flying home for his father's funeral, who died of congestive heart failure on June 12, 1990. Triumphantly, the Pistons went on to win the championship against Portland while there. The night Joe learned of his father's death, he had just finished scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter against Portland, making 12 points in a row as the Pistons rallied from a 111-106 deficit with three minutes remaining to a 118-115 lead with 18.6 seconds left.
Since then, Dumars has continued to excel. In 1991 he assisted Detroit in lead scoring for the first time; in 1994 Joe tied the record for the most 3-pointers in a regular NBA season with Brian Shaw of Orlando with ten 3-pointers in a November game against the Minnesota Timberwolves; he won a gold medal as captain of the Dream Team at the 1994 World Championship; and, in 1995, Joe again tied the NBA record with seven 3-pointers in one half of an April game against Orlando Magic.
Dumars consistently pulls through in a crunch as stated by opposing teammate, Chris Webber of the Washington Wizards for the Washington Post. "I grew up watching Joe play .... I hope one day I'll have that same type of effect on a game." Dumars relates to the Washington Post regarding the Pistons' more recent performance during the game which won the 1995 NBA championship, "We just kept digging and digging. We used the trap and made them shoot long jumpers. We went helter skelter. That's not going to work for 82 games, but it worked tonight. We didn't play well, but we kept fighting. You never lay down because you can never tell what will happen." This final sentence pretty much sums up the overall belief and performance of Dumars who is better known for his calm demeanor, especially in comparison with his flamboyant teammates.
According to the New York Times, "Wherever he goes, Dumars draws praise from the opposition.... Brad Daugherty, Cleveland's center, ... said that Dumars is the heart and soul of {the} team and that there is no other player he would rather have on his side.... Dumars is more a player's player than a fan favorite or a news- media celebrity, and in many ways, that's fine with him." Dumars' immediate peer group are his teammates of the Detroit Pistons. Joe's teammates refer to him as Joe Cool, J.D., G.I. Joe or, most importantly, Mr. Dumars. Chicago Bulls Star Dennis Rodman shared with the New York Times that Joe is a "... peaceful, humble person who doesn't feel too much pressure. Joe has taken control of his game and of the atmosphere of the team, but he does damage in a quiet way. He's always going to hit the big shots."
Having earned considerable respect in the profession, Joe has made it his goal to help the Pistons continue in the right direction. Joe is largely responsible for defending against top shooters and he typically arrives hours ahead of time for games. As a top NBA defender, Joe is both swift and sure, conscientiously maintaining a positive attitude which keeps him focused on the game.
In 1984, Joe ranked sixth in the country with 26.4 average points per game and he remains listed among the top 20 all-time college scorers. By 1995, Joe had played in the NBA All-Star game five times and made the NBA All-Defensive Team four times, playing a total of 762 games from 1985 through 1995 during which he made nearly 85% of his 3,391 attempted free throws. Joe scored a total of 13,079 points in that ten year span, with an average of 17.2 points per game, averaging over 23 points per game in the 1992-93 season.
Dumars admires his friend, mentor and former Pistons player, Adrian Dantley, who had a falling out with Isiah Thomas and eventually left the Pistons. Joe feels that he and Dantley share similar values, such as a belief in hard work, discipline, positive actions and taking care of one's health. Joe also values family and, since his father died in the spring of 1990, Dumars, who used to call home once a day, now calls his mother 2-3 times a day.
With 82 NBA games per season, appearances, charitable activities, and family life, Joe has mastered good time management. Joe is happily married to Debbie and they have one girl, Aren and one boy, Jordan, named after Michael Jordan. Joe has always been a family man, and says that his brother Mark was his best friend growing up. Enormously respected by teammates, opponents, and coaches for his unassuming, yet sure demeanor, Joe is considered like a second coach, having tutoring former rookies like Grant Hill, Allan Houston, and Lindsey Hunter.
In a November 1996 interview with Sports Illustrated Joe recalls that, prior to Grant Hill becoming a member of the Pistons, "I can't begin to count how many times I considered retiring before Grant got here, but the way we're playing now, this rebirth, has made all that suffering worthwhile." Detroit Pistons coach Doug Collins, enormously grateful for the graciousness of Dumars in allowing young Grant to take the lead, has said, "I love Joe Dumars." The veteran Joe Dumars and rookie Grant Hill have a mutual appreciation for one another, with Hill benefitting from Dumars' experience and advice. Hill was the top NBA rookie in the spring of 1995. Grant views Joe as a source of wisdom and support, while Joe sees Grant as a young athlete worthy of his assistance. Dumars warns Grant against being unnecessarily bumped around the court after the whistle blows by rougher players. Dumars further advises Hill that it's o.k. to be viewed as a good guy. Dumars sees in Hill the integrity and dignity not often seen in Hill's contemporaries. Dumars mentors Hill as Joe himself was once mentored by ex-Pistons player Adrian Dantley when Joe entered the league in 1985. Hill reported to Sports Illustrated that "If there's something {Joe} really thinks I ought to hear, he'll tell me, but a lot of the time he waits for me to turn to him."
In addition to the time he devotes to the game Joe has shared his success with thousands of others. Known as one of the most charitable sports figures, Joe's program Second Harvest collects food from Detroit area givers for needy families and he offers an annual summer basketball camp for disabled children. Joe started the Joe Dumars Foundation in 1993 which raises money for the Children's Hospital of Michigan. On behalf of this foundation, Joe has hosted the Joe Dumars Celebrity Tennis Classic since 1993 which attracts tennis pros and has raised more than $400,000 for the Children's Hospital of Michigan. Joe's own playing of tennis to relax led into this charitable event. Dumars also hosts a luncheon each year for 100 Detroit-area students who have excelled in school.
In February of 1995, Joe opened the Joe Dumars Fieldhouse, a $2.4 million, 70,000 square foot facility in Shelby Township outside Detroit. Here youngsters play sports and attend basketball clinics free of charge. Joe often drops by to play pick-up games with the kids at the facility which possesses basketball and volleyball courts, an in-line hockey rink, restaurant/sports bar, and weightlifting and cardiovascular equipment. Dumars plans to invest more of his time here once he retires from the Pistons and it is already a popular Pistons hangout. One of Joe's favorite activities is his summer basketball camp for kids at the Joe Dumars Fieldhouse. Dumars tells a reporter for Boys Life in 1996, "I see myself in a lot of kids at our camp .... This kind of program would really have helped me and the other kids when I was growing up."
In 1994 Dumars won basketball's "J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award" for community service and he recalls that, during his childhood, he learned the value and importance of giving and sharing with others. Named one of the NBA's "classiest players" by Sport magazine, Dumars would rather be known for his work off the court, especially with Detroit's young people. It is easy to see why the title applies to him. Also, rather than taking sole credit for his athletic talents, Dumars attributes the winning of two NBA championships by the Pistons to successful teamwork and emphasizes this concept to kids in his basketball camp. With humility, grace, and expert skills, Dumars proves himself a hero both on and off the court.
Awards
Member NBA Championship Teams, 1989, 1990; named MVP of the 1989 NBA finals after averaging 27.3 points a game; tri-captained 1989 Dream Team II at the 1994 World Championships; fourth on the Pistons' all-time scoring list with 13,872 points at end of 1995-96 season; five-time NBA All-Star and Pistons captain; member NBA All Star Team 1990-93; member NBA Defensive First Team 1989-90, 1992, 1993; member NBA All Defensive Second Team 1991, 1993; member NBA All Third Team, 1990, 1991; member NBA All Rookie Team, 1986; member Sporting News NCAA All-America 2nd team, 1985; Recipient Citizenship Award, 1994; Recipient of the first NBA Sportsmanship Award 1996.
Further Reading
Books
- The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, Second edition. edited by Alex Sachare, Willard Books, 1994.
- Rambeck, Richard, Detroit Pistons, Creative Education, Inc, 1993.
- Stewart, Mark, Joe Dumars, Children's Press (Grolier Publishing), 1996.
- Thomas, Isiah, Bad Boys: An Inside Look at the Detroit Pistons'1988-89 Championship Season, Masters Press: Grand Rapids, 1989.
- Who's Who in America, 50th edition, 1996.
- Boys' Life, Nov 1996, v. 86, n. 11, p. 9.
- New York Times, Feb 17, 1991, sec. 8, p. 1.
- Sports Illustrated, Feb 10, 1997, v. 86, n. 5, p. 66; Apr 24, 1995, v. 82, n.16, pp. 40-43; Nov 25, 1996, v. 85, n. 22, p. 40.
- Sports Illustrated for Kids, Feb 1997, v. 9, n. 2, p. 18; Aug 1995, v. 7, n.8, p. 21.
- The Washington Post, June 12, 1990, p. C1; Feb 8, 1995, pp. F1, F7.
— Marilyn Williams
