The franchise was founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, a National Basketball League (NBL) team, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Owner Fred Zollner's Zollner Corporation was a foundry that manufactured pistons, primarily for car, truck, and locomotive engines. The Zollner Pistons were NBL champions in 1944 and 1945.

On December 13th, 1983 the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets played the highest scoring game in NBA history. The Pistons won in triple overtime 186-184. Isiah Thomas led the way for Detroit with 47 points, 17 assists, five rebounds and four steals. John Long added 41 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball (1991) was a futuristic video game that took place in the year 2031. Bill Laimbeer, who played for the Detroit Pistons at a time when the team was notorious for aggressive and physical play, has become commissioner of a basketball league, fired the referees and created a style of play without rules. There are no fouls and use of weapons is perfectly legal.

Although he was a member of the famed "Bad Boys" teams known for their aggressive play and demeanor, Joe Dumars became personally known for his quiet and upstanding behavior. He was the first recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award which has been named the Joe Dumars Trophy. His number 4 jersey was retired by the Pistons in March 2000.

The 1989 NBA Finals was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Eastern Conference playoff champion Detroit Pistons and the defending NBA champion and Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers swept the first three rounds of the playoffs, only to be swept by the Pistons in the finals.

At 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), Chuck Nevitt is one of the tallest players in NBA history. He spent three years in Detroit and had his best season in 1986-87 when he averaged 1.9 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game.

A 12-time NBA All-Star, point guard Isiah Thomas was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He holds a whole slew of Pistons career records, including points (18,822), assists (9,061) and steals (1,861).

Flip Saunders is the franchise's all-time leader in regular-season winning percentage (.715). He led the Pistons to three consecutive Central Division titles and three consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, but was fired after the Pistons lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight time. Detroit president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said the team needed a "new voice".

Hooper, the Pistons' mascot, generally appears as a horse wearing a Pistons jersey. Like the pistons they are named after, the team produces horsepower, hence the equine mascot.

Nicknamed "Big Nasty", Corliss Williamson served a pivotal role coming off the bench for the Pistons in the 2001-02 season, averaging 13.6 points per game and earning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award.