Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson died Friday night. He was 86 years old.
Davidson owned the Pistons since 1974 and saw the team win the 1989, 1990 and 2004 NBA titles.
He was owner when the Pistons moved to The Palace of Auburn Hills, a privately owned and financed arena, in 1988, and was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. Additionally, Davidson was the former owner of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. He is the only owner in history to win NBA and NHL championships in the same season (2004).
Davidson owned the Pistons since 1974 and saw the team win the 1989, 1990 and 2004 NBA titles.
He was owner when the Pistons moved to The Palace of Auburn Hills, a privately owned and financed arena, in 1988, and was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. Additionally, Davidson was the former owner of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. He is the only owner in history to win NBA and NHL championships in the same season (2004).
Davidson also owned the Detroit Shock, who brought home three WNBA championships. He also served two terms as Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors.
"The entire Palace family is mourning the loss of Mr. Davidson," said Tom Wilson, President of Palace Sports and Entertainment and the Pistons. "He was truly a pioneer in so many ways. His legacy will live forever."
Davidson acquired the Detroit Pistons in 1974 from the late Fred Zollner, the man who founded the team in Fort Wayne, Indiana in the 1940s.
Davidson's Pistons were the first professional sports team to own their own plane, Roundball One. Roundball Two, a newer, larger, multimillion-dollar aircraft was purchased and refurbished in the summer of 1998 for the organization.
The Pistons have played in the postseason in 19 of the past 25 years, including 11 of the past 13 seasons
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