Happy 62nd Birthday, Joe Dumars

Photo credit: 1991 Focus on Sport, Getty Images.

An NBA legend celebrates a birthday on May 24 as Hall of Fame guard Joe Dumars turns 62. 

Dumars, a native of Shreveport, La., attended Natchitoches Central before his four years at McNeese State from 1981-1985. 

As a collegian, Dumars averaged 22.5 points on 46.2% shooting, including 26.4 points as a junior and 25.8 points as a senior. 

His school’s all-time leading scorer (2,612 points), Dumars was 4-time All-Southland Conference and 4-time All-Louisiana. In his senior season, he was Southland Conference Player of the Year and a 2nd-team All-American. 

Going into the 1985 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons were coming off a 46-36 season that saw them lose 4-2 in Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Boston Celtics. With two-guards John Long and Vinny Johnson, both 28 years old, on the roster, the team elected to take Dumars with their 18th overall selection. 

Dumars started 45 games a rookie and averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 assists in 23.9 minutes. In his second season, his minutes were bumped up to 30.9, and he averaged 11.8 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 75 starts. 

In 1988, the Pistons made the Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Dumars, who averaged 14.2 points and 4.7 assists on 47.2% shooting in 82 games, averaged 13.4 points on 52.6% shooting in the Pistons’ 7-game loss. 

The Pistons won their first of two championships in 1989, and Dumars shot 50.5% on 13 shots per game for 17.2 points along with 5.7 assists. Averaging 34.9 minutes per game, he made All-Defensive 1st team for the first time in his career. 

The Pistons lost two games throughout the entire playoffs, in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Chicago Bulls who pushed them to six games. In round one, the Pistons swept the Boston Celtics 3-0 and swept the Milwaukee Bucks 4-0 in round two before sweeping the Lakers 4-0. 

Dumars shot 57.6% and made 87% of his free-throws in the Finals for a series-high 27.3 points with 6.0 assists. In Game 2, he scored 33 points with 6 assists on 10-for-16 from the field and 13-of-14 from the line in the Pistons’ 108-105 win. In Game 3, he scored 31 points with 5 assists and 2 steals on 12-of-21 shooting and 7-of-7 from the line in the Pistons’ 114-110 victory. 

In the 1989-90 season, Dumars made his first of four consecutive all-star appearances with a season average of 17.8 points to go along with 4.9 assists. In addition to his all-star campaign, “Joe D” was third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and made All-NBA 3rd team. 

The Pistons swept the Indiana Pacers 3-0 in round one, defeated the New York Knicks 4-1 in the second round, and snuck by the Chicago Bulls 4-3 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals before their 4-1 Finals win over the Portland Trail Blazers. 

In his second NBA Finals, Dumars averaged 20.6 points and 5.6 points on 41.5% shooting, playing a series-high 42 minutes per game. In Game 3’s 121-106 victory, he scored a game-high 33 points with 5 assists (43 minutes) on 11-for-22 from the field, 2-for-3 from 3-point range, and made all nine of his free-throw attempts. 

In 1990-91, Dumars shot 48.1% on 16.2 shots per game, averaging 20.4 points and 5.5 assists per game. He finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and made 2nd-team All-Defense and All-NBA 3rd team. 

Dumars played all 82 games in 1991-92 for the first time since his third season, and averaged 19.9 points and 4.6 assists per game. He made All-Defensive 1st team and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. 

In 1992-93, Dumars put together a career season - a career-high 23.5 points per game with 4.0 assists per game on 46.6% on a career-high 18.9 shots and career-high 40.2 minutes per game. He produced a top-10 MVP finish (10th), and made All-NBA 2nd team and 1st team All-Defense. 

Over his final six seasons, Dumars made the all-star game two additional times, in 1994-95 (18.1 points, 5.5 assists, 43% from the field) at the age of 31 and in 1996-97 at age 33 (14.7 points, 4.0 assists, 44% from the field). 

From 1992-93 through to 1994-95, the Pistons did not make the postseason, but in 1995-96 were back in the playoffs with a 46-win season. Under Doug Collins in 1996-97 for the second season, the Pistons won 54 games, an impressive turnaround from 20-62 and 28-54 finishes in 1993-94 and 1994-95. With a roster that now included young all-star Grant Hill, Dumars played the role of steady veteran, as he, Rick Mahorn, and Otis Thorpe were the experienced trio on a team that included Hill, Lindsey Hunter (third season) and a one-year veteran in center Theo Ratliff who would develop into a great shot-blocker in his career. 

In the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, Dumars’ final, the Pistons went 29-21 under Alvin Gentry, and lost 3-2 in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks. Dumars played 38 games in 29.4 minutes per game and averaged 11.3 points per game. 

In his 14 seasons, Dumars started 944 of 1,018 games with a career points average of 16.1 points and an assist average of 4.5 per game. He averaged 12.8 shots per game on 46% from the field. 

A 6-time all-star, Dumars was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of its 2006 class. From 2000-2014, he served as the President of Basketball Operations of the Pistons, and from 2019-2022 served in the Sacramento Kings’ front office, fulfilling roles of special advisor to the General Manager, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, and Chief Strategy Officer. From 2022-2025, Dumars served as Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA. 

Dumars was most recently named as President of Basketball Operations for his home-state New Orleans Pelicans, on April 16, 2025, succeeding David Griffin. 

“Joe and I, when we walked out on the floor, we wanted to every single night prove that we were better than you,” Isiah Thomas told Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson on their Knuckleheads podcast in 2020. 

When Dumars was in the Pistons’ front office, his former head coach, the legendary Chuck Daly, spoke highly of his former star guard. 

“He went out and got guys like himself,” said Daly in June 2005, alluding to the Pistons’ title nucleus that allowed the franchise to win its third championship in 2004. “Guys who wanted to play defense, were willing to sacrifice, they were good teammates,” continued Daly. “He understands what the quality is for a winning team. Continually, throughout his career he was the same. He was never in any of the messy stuff, he kept his dignity, his pride. Class act all the way. He was truly admired around the league.” 

No better compliments to hear than those from your Hall of Fame head coach.  

Happy 62nd, Joe Dumars.