Congratulations Joe Dumars!

[Pistons < Spurs]

Pistons.com asked fans to submit congratulatory messages to current President of Basketball Operations and former Detroit guard Joe Dumars for his upcoming induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Fan responses will be posted each day leading up to the Sept. 9 ceremony in Springfield, MA. Former Pistons great and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas will present Joe as an inductee into the 2006 class, which includes Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, University of Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma, former Big East commissioner David Gavitt and Italian National Team coach Sandro Gamba.

Read other messages, or post your own here:

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/dumars_congratulations.html

[ducks]

you might be able to hit it now for one night

[baseline bum]

Congrats. He and Isiah were so much fun to watch back in the day.

[ObiwanGinobili]

Yeah! Joe! Yeah!

(insert happy dance of joy)

[alamo50]

Congrats. He and Isiah were so much fun to watch back in the day.

Word.
Sometimes you wish it was back in da day again.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

And in 20 years he'll get to be the one to introduce Darko at his induction ceremony. Congrats Joe!

[Rip-Hamilton32]

uhm first darko is gonna have to step out of dwight's shadow and then start putting up points

[Pistons < Spurs]

uhm first darko is gonna have to step out of dwight's shadow and then start putting up points

I don't think it's going to take a long time for that to happen...

[Pistons < Spurs]

Dream come true

Hall of Fame honor caps off Dumars' playing career

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- When the phone call came in, Joe Dumars responded in, well, typical Joe Dumars fashion.

Calm, cool, collected.

Never mind Dumars was just informed he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed on a select few.

For Dumars, it seemed like an abstract concept.

But now, as the hours tick down to his formal induction today, Dumars' measured demeanor isn't so measured.

"It's becoming more and more real to me," said Dumars, 43. "I am going into the Hall of Fame -- it's almost unthinkable. It's the culmination of a career, and in a lot of ways, the final end to my basketball career as a player. It's a dream that started when I was a little kid, like 11, 12 years old, playing basketball for hours in my backyard.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last few weeks because of this; it's almost like a 'This is Your Life' type of thing."

Dumars is being enshrined for his storied 14-year Pistons career that produced two NBA titles, six All-Star appearances and an MVP award for the 1989 Finals.

He is being inducted into the Hall with Geno Auriemma, Charles Barkley, Sandro Gamba, David Gavitt and Dominique Wilkins.

Dumars realizes entering the Hall required two teams in his life: the Pistons. And his family.

"I haven't written anything down for my speech -- I never write anything down when I speak -- but that's what I plan to talk about, the people in my life who helped me and shaped me," he said. "My parents, my brothers and sister, my wife, my kids, on and on. And I plan to say thank you to all of them."

Will Dumars get emotional?

"Maybe," Dumars said, adding a laugh. "But it's OK. This is a pretty big deal."

Keeping the faith

Ophelia Dumars always knew her seven children were special.

She saw their potential and prayed for their future. She and husband, Joe Dumars II, had six boys and a girl.

She wanted their house in Natchitoches, La., to be filled with love. And no matter the situation, the Dumarses wanted their children to be good people, work hard, and keep their word.

Ophelia knew her youngest son, Joe, enjoyed playing basketball. He tried football, like his older brothers, but didn't like the contact.

So he frequently challenged older brother Mark to basketball games on their homemade hoop in the backyard.

"Did I ever know when Joe lost," Ophelia said, chuckling at the memory. "He would be so angry because he did not like to lose. Oh, no. He would come in the house and sit by himself and be mad. I don't think Joe takes losing any better today -- he still hates it."

Ophelia didn't realize the outside world saw greatness in Joe until one day at McNeese State.

She was sitting in the stands, watching him play.

"Joe was having another good game, and this lady turns to me and says, 'When Joe goes to the pros, I hope he doesn't change from the person he is,' " Ophelia, now 70, said. "I was a little shocked. Play in the pros? I hadn't even thought about that. So I just nodded and said 'I hope so.' I never said anything to Joe about that, but that opened my eyes a little."

NBA was new world

Pursuing a pro basketball career meant a lot of changes in Dumars' life. He was selected 18th in the first round of the 1985 draft by the Pistons.

For the first time, Dumars would leave the South. His whole life to that point had taken place in Louisiana.

Moving to Detroit meant leaving his family behind without knowing a soul.

"It was tough, I won't lie, the first few months up here were kind of lonely and hard," Dumars said. "But I knew I was going to be all right because I had that foundation from home. I had everything I needed to be successful from what my parents taught me."

But Ophelia took her youngest son's departure hard. It was a big transition: from the symbolic -- her boy was grown; to the practical -- worrying about Joe.

"I was happy for him, as I knew this was a wonderful opportunity for him to do what he wanted to do," Ophelia said. "But I didn't take it too well, I had to pray a lot to get a calm or a peace about it. I've had sons leave before, including one for the Marines and another to play football in Canada.

"When Joe left, it was different. He was my baby, my last baby."

Dumars flourished with the Pistons, soon becoming a critical part of a championship team.

But off the court, Dumars also found his place. He married Debbie in 1989, giving him another support system.

The two knew each other since college, but Debbie admits she didn't fully know what she was getting into with the NBA life.

"There were times I was sitting in our apartment here, alone, when we first got married because Joe was gone with the team," Debbie said. "I was lonely, I didn't know anybody up here but Joe, it was cold outside and I hated it.

"I knew I had to pick up the slack and Joe really helped me adjust. He helped me grow."

Family had a lot to juggle

Soon, the Dumarses had two children, son Jordan and daughter Aren. Debbie was busy raising the children while Joe continued to play basketball.

As the children grew, and Dumars neared the end of his career around the late '90s, balancing family and work became tougher.

"I know I missed things in their lives, it's just the nature of being gone so much," Dumars said. "Debbie had a lot of work. When you play basketball at this level, you have to be a little selfish. You need to take care of yourself and what you have to do for the team. When you're young, it's easier to be selfish. It gets harder when you get older."

Dumars stayed involved as much as possible, even dropping the kids off at school. Debbie would see him come home dead tired from a road trip, yet immediately head outside to play catch with Jordan.

"I told Joe, 'Your daddy never saw a game you played in your life -- high school, college or pros, yet do you love him any less?' " said Debbie, 47. "He tried to do everything to make up for being gone, but you can't do that. He shouldn't do that. He was gone at work. Both our daddies worked and weren't home at times. That's life."

The couple had several outside business interests, from owning Detroit Technologies, an auto supply company, to Dumars Travel, run by Debbie.

Dumars retired from basketball in 1999 and immediately moved into the Pistons front office.

He found success as president, building a team that won the 2004 NBA title. He was named NBA executive of the year in 2003.

Pair prioritizes

It turns out Dumars turned introspective well before his impending Hall of Fame induction.

He realized some important things in the past year. Dumars was working hard, trying to negotiate his Pistons duties and business interests.

Debbie was just as busy with her successful travel agency and negotiating the kids' schedules.

Life became a series of nonstop business phone calls, meetings and BlackBerry messages.

Meanwhile, son Jordan is now 15, plays basketball and stands 6-foot-5 -- a good two inches taller than his dad. Aren is 13 and loves to play sports, too.

Time is moving fast, and the children are no longer babies.

So the Dumarses made some decisions. Dumars sold his company six months ago, making the Pistons his only job. Debbie let go of the travel agency a year ago, lightening her workload.

Attending Jordan's basketball games are a priority, even if it means joining the Pistons a little late for a road trip. Seeing Aren play volleyball and tennis is important, too.

Jordan went on road trips with Dumars and the Pistons during the 2006 playoffs, providing additional father-son bonding time.

"It's about doing what's important, and right now, the Pistons and my family is what's most important," Dumars said. "I was working, and working, and working, and for what? Was it worth what I was giving up? I came to that conclusion and Debbie did, too. It's been the best thing we ever did."

Debbie enjoys the interaction between the kids and their dad -- they're normal teens who speak their minds. Dumars admits he's turned into his father, a no-nonsense stickler for things being done right.

"If Joe gets caught up in his BlackBerry or something at dinner, Jordan or Aren will get on him and tell him to put it away," Debbie said.

"I really enjoy watching them put him in his place. It's good for him."

It'll be an emotional night

Forgive Dumars if he grows a little teary-eyed during tonight's induction ceremony. Friend, Pistons teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas will introduce him.

Then it's Dumars' turn to address the crowd, which will be filled with family, friends, McNeese State coaches and teammates, and past and present members of the Pistons organization.

"I think about what my dad would say if he were here right now," Dumars said. His father died in 1990, just before Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

"I can hear him, I know he'd say, 'Boy, can you believe this? Can you believe that one of us, somebody from Natchitoches, is going into the Hall of Fame? Can you believe it? I'm proud of you. You did good.' "

And Dumars stops speaking, looking out the window of his office at the Pistons practice facility.

It's getting tougher to stay calm.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060908/SPORTS0102/609080365/1127

[Pistons < Spurs]

Isiah Thomas on Joe Dumars:
When you talk about Joe, you talk about grace and class, but I just think of his family ... his mom ... his dad. When I first met them (particularly his dad), I understood Joe. He was definitely raised the right way, brought up the right way and he always treated people very kindly. He always had a kind word, always had a kind disposition and was just very gentlemanly in the way he conducted himself, the way he treated people and the way he played the game.

Joe was the quiet assassin. He was the guy that would sneak into town, do his thing and be gone. As a player, he always had the tough assignments and he always guarded the toughest people. The thing that I always admired about him as a defender is that he never got rattled. We had some classic battles against Jordan, Magic and guys who were the best basketball players to ever play, and whenever they would make a great play against him, his demeanor was never rattled, which gave everybody on the team great confidence because he was just never shaken.

When a guy is scoring against you and having good nights or whatever, if your disposition isn't right, you give that guy a lot of confidence, you give that team a lot of confidence and you take a certain swagger away from your team. Joe's greatest strength for us was that he never was rattled. And consequently, we as a team never unraveled defensively.

On Game 4 of the 1990 NBA Finals:
His father was really sick at that time and I remember the day that his father passed. The family didn't want us to let Joe know before the game that his father had passed. They wanted him to play. I just remember watching him through the game have this incredible game ... beautiful game. And I just kept thinking to myself as we were playing, at the end of this game, his world is gonna be shattered.

But watching him smile and play ... and there was one shot that he made in front of our bench... the shot clock was winding down ... he split two defenders and shot this real high-arcing shot ... I mean it went all the way to the moon. It came down and hit nothing but net. We both smiled at each other and my smile was different than his, because he was like, "Yeah that was sweet." But in my mind, I was saying "Your dad threw that one in," because it was a shot that he never would have made. And it came at a crucial time.

On Dumars' appproach as a defender:
He was very studious. He understood his opponent, knew what he liked to do and what he needed to take away. He was a very knowledgeable defender. Not necessarily gifted as an athlete in terms of jumping, but I would say, more of an intelligent defender. I think his training with his brother being a football coach, understanding angles and everything else, gave him a unique approach to defending. But again, the most important thing I remember about Joe's defensive abilities .. they weren't his physical skills. They were his mental approach to stick to a game plan and not become rattled. And that was huge for us.

On Dumars' enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
It's deserving because of not only what he's given to the game, but what's he's given to the game of life. When I think about the people in the Hall of Fame, I don't think of them as people who play basketball extremely well. I think of them as people who have really given to the game of basketball and given to the game of life.

Joe, in the way he's lived, the way he is as a father, as a husband, as a man, as a teammate, as a brother, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Then when you talk about his basketball playing, that's another thing. That's something that's kind of taken for granted because he's a great player. But to me, the people in the Hall of Fame are Hall-of-Fame people, and he's a Hall-of-Fame person.

http://www.nba.com/encyclopedia/hof2006_testimonials.html

[samikeyp]

Congrats to the ultimate professional. :tu

[Pistons < Spurs]

Hall of Fame day

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Dominique Wilkins, he of "Human Highlight Reel" fame, opened the night. Charles Barkley, he of the quick-witted, controversial tongue, closed it.

So it was that Joe Dumars was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday just as he did so many other things in his career.

Quietly. With other names filling the marquee spots.

And like his other quiet successes, he enjoyed it just the same.

"I am as grateful," Dumars said in his induction speech, "and humbled as anyone can ever be standing here right now."

Dumars, now the Pistons' team president, was recognized for a basketball career that culminated with 14 years as a shooting guard in Detroit, a career that included two NBA titles, a Finals MVP award and lasting reputation of stellar sportsmanship and sticky defense.

The Louisiana native was inducted as a player, although, as an executive, Dumars molded the Pistons into NBA champions in 2004.

Dumars was more than happy to receive basketball's ultimate honor alongside fellow inductees who commanded greater attention. Barkley, Wilkins, Connecticut women's coach Geno Auriemma, Italian coach Sandro Gamba and former Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt completed the 2006 class.

"If it was done another way," Dumars said, "if it had happened in a different fashion, it probably would have felt a little bit strange to me. I'm right in my element here."

But for eight minutes Friday, Dumars did star. He took the stage with Hall of Fame teammate Isiah Thomas as his welcomer.

Dumars mostly kept his emotions in check during his speech, but he did speak passionately about his family and other supporters and about the duty of professional athletes as role models.

"More than anything else, I wanted to make sure that people knew there's no possible way you can get here in your life by yourself," Dumars said. "You can't do this by yourself. There's no man alive that can walk this walk and stand here and say he got here without any help."

His six older siblings, his mother, Ophelia, his wife, Debbie, and his son and daughter all attended the ceremony. They received the heaviest of Dumars' thanks.

"You hear politicians talk about family values," Dumars said. "That's a catchphrase most of the time. But those people in Louisiana who I grew up with really lived it. They lived family values. They lived integrity. They lived respect. They lived humility."

Nearly everyone employed on the Pistons staff -- including coach Flip Saunders, team president Tom Wilson, owner Bill Davidson and many more -- sat in the audience Friday night. Dumars thanked many of them, too.

Pistons guard Lindsey Hunter, who played alongside Dumars in his final seasons, was the lone player to make the trip to Massachusetts.

"It's a no-brainer," Hunter said. "It was the least thing I could do. He's kind of taken me under his wing. I think we really have a special relationship. I'm just happy for him."

The pattern of quiet accomplishment has followed Dumars, 43, throughout his life, from the time spent in the shadow of his older siblings to his early basketball career, when, as he puts it, "I wasn't one of these eighth-grade prodigies."

It wasn't until his last two years of high school that he starred at Natchitoches Central. It wasn't until the end of his college career when he was discovered by former Pistons scout Will Robinson, who saw Dumars play at McNeese State and came back telling his bosses that he'd found the perfect backcourt mate for Thomas.

"I had to convince the powers-that-be that this youngin' from McNeese State, which no one had heard of, had what it takes to make it," said Robinson, now 95. "... The rest is history."

Now, it really is history. That's a concept that is still strange for Dumars to accept.

"Only at the beginning of this week did I start focusing on it," Dumars said. "Then the weight starting wearing on me like ... wow. It's unbelievable."

Dumars didn't use a script for his speech; it helped that he had his most meaningful thank-yous out of the way.

In mid-August, Dumars compiled a list of "78 or 79" people who made an impact on his basketball life. Then he wrote each of them a letter.

"It took awhile to go back and write to each one of those people, to send them a letter thanking them for helping me get here," Dumars said.

Dumars said, as a player, it was his mission to defy the stereotypes of professional athletes.

"That you had to be brash, that you had to be loud, that you couldn't be articulate, that you couldn't present yourself well," Dumars said. "I never believed that. I saw too many guys before me who did it the right way."

Now, as a Hall of Famer enshrined as much for the way he did things as for what he accomplished, he asked others to follow that lead.

"I would encourage all of us, everyone in this room, to continue to be good people and to continue to carry yourself the right way," Dumars said. "Because you never, ever, ever can tell who's looking at you."


http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060909/SPORTS03/609090363/1051

[ShoogarBear]

Joe D is the 2 on the All-Time All-Class team.

D Rob is the 5.

[bdictjames]

Very succesful career, he deserved being on the HoF list

[Vinnie_Johnson]

And in 20 years he'll get to be the one to introduce Darko at his induction ceremony. Congrats Joe!

LMAO Right next to Brent Berry... :lol

[ABDENOUR POWER]

Great to see Dumars being honored like this. He's my all-time favorite player. :)

[freedom&justice]

He totally deserves this. Congrats to one of the classiest players ever!