The son of the late Pistons’ owner claims Isiah Thomas wasn’t the original Bad Boy: “The first guy that became part of that championship family”
While NBA historical past books crown Isiah Thomas as the undisputed chief of the Detroit Pistons Bad Boys period, these with a front-row seat to the franchise’s evolution inform a special story. Among them was Ethan Davidson, son of the late former Pistons owner William Davidson.
In an interview, Davidson supplied a perspective that challenges the well-liked narrative and the Bad Boys devoted’s perception. While he acknowledged that the Bad Boy Pistons had been outlined by Thomas’ grit and competitiveness, Davidson revealed that Zeke’s time wasn’t the Bad Boys’ level of origin.
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According to Davidson, the true DNA of the Bad Boy persona started with John Long, the prolific taking pictures guard who joined the Pistons in 1978. As far again as Davidson may recall, Long’s arrival marked the beginning of the Bad Boy household in the group.
“Obviously, the team was really built around Isiah [Thomas]but John Long was the first guy we drafted from U of D (Detroit) – he and Terry Tyler,” Davidson advised MLive in 2014
Isiah got here in
There had been no lies detected in Davidson’s revelation. As it turned out, the Thomas-Joe Dumars backcourt duo was the face of the Bad Boys in the late ’80s, however a number of years in the past, that title belonged to Zeke and Long.
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In his first three seasons with the PistonsLong showcased his scoring prowess. He averaged 17.7 factors per recreation in the 1980-81 season. The following 12 months, Detroit drafted Thomas.
Together, Isiah and Long fashioned a formidable tandem. Long averaged a career-best 21.9 factors per outing alongside Zeke. Like Long, Thomas was additionally welcomed by the Davidson household with open arms.
“Then years later we drafted Isiah Thomas,” Ethan remembered. “Isiah was that much older than me and came here and really, in that first year, kind of really moved in with us and was having dinner at our house every night. And he and my dad became like father and son. And he was in a lot of ways the closest thing I had to an older brother.”
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Zeke made the Bad Boys official
Long misplaced his beginning spot to Dumars as the Pistons went for Joe D’s two-way recreation. He was ultimately traded to the Indiana Pacers for 2 second-round draft picks in 1986. That similar 12 months, the Pistons drafted Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer had developed right into a perennial All-Star participant.
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With Thomas main the cost, the Pistons’ core launched an unconventional and controversial model of play that would solidify the identification of their group. They distinctly thrived on physicality and intimidation.
Since Long’s time, the Pistons haven’t had an official nickname. Isiah then thought he had to give their team a fitting moniker. A reputation that would symbolize their popularity and brotherhood.
“I sort of came up with the whole Bad Boys thing,” thomas eleven said. “It’s not that I or any of us wanted to be the bad guys,” Thomas insists.
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“You’d go to Boston Garden and everyone would talk about the mystique, then Kevin McHale, Larry Bird and Robert Parish would kill you — they beat you, not some leprechauns, but the talk distracted you. I figured we could get the same kind of thing going. I always liked the Oakland Raiders and I wanted our image to be just like that.”
In retrospect, it is fairly refreshing to find the reality about the starting of one of the NBA’s biggest franchises. Once and for all, it is now clear that the Bad Boys, regardless that they weren’t identified by that title again then, began with Long.
However, it was Zeke who made it official and took the group to championship heights.
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Related: Rick Mahorn on the moment Isiah Thomas earned his respect: “I hit his a–”
This story was initially revealed by Basketball Network on May 13, 2026, the place it first appeared in the Old school part. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
