Pistons Primary Logo
The Detroit Pistons are a professional basketball team based in Detroit, Michigan. They have been part of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since its founding in 1948 and have won three championship titles over the years. The franchise has gone through several logo changes throughout its history, but it is always recognizable by its iconic red-and-blue color scheme.
The first official logo for the Pistons was used from 1949 to 1951 and featured a blue circle with white outlining that contained an image of two pistons crossing each other in front of a basketball net with “Detroit” written above them. This design was replaced by another one between 1952 and 1957 which showed an orange triangle containing four small circles inside it that represented both pistons as well as two basketballs on either side; this symbol also had “Detroit” inscribed at the top portion of it.
In 1958, after moving to their new home stadium at Cobo Arena, they adopted yet another logo depicting just one piston encircled within a ring made up of eight stars representing different cities located near Detroit such as Windsor or Flint; this version remained until 1971 when they switched back to using two crossed pistons again but now placed inside an oval shape instead which has become known today as their primary emblem ever since then - even though minor modifications were made during later years like adding more vibrant colors or making slight adjustments regarding size & proportions thereof etcetera.
2017 - Present
In 2017 the Pistons return to the 80’s and 90’s logo. Pistons changed the basketball to a solid red with white outline. The wordmark “DETROIT PISTONS” in white and in the center of the basketball. The red basketball is enclosed with a blue ring.
The logo modifies the text-over-red-basketball scheme the team has used for the last 12 seasons, reducing the font size significantly and altering the look of the ball. It closely resembles the team’s logo from 1979–1996, which notably includes the Bad Boys era.
“The bold red, white and blue color scheme and basketball icon have withstood the test of time through the evolution of the franchise and the city,” the team said. “And now that a new chapter is being written, that evolution continues with a new identity built on the Pistons championship tradition and promising future.”
Detroit’s 2005-2017 logo was starting to look a bit outdated, and the cleaner retro look is a big upgrade.
The chrome outline on the new logo pays tribute to Detroit muscle cars, the team said.
2006 - 2017
The current logo consists of a red basketball and ties in the colors of America. The current configuration of the red ball with the blue-and-white accents and the customized font with “DETROIT” is a bit more understated than “PISTONS” inside the ball.
2002 - 2005
In 2002 the logo stayed the same with only color changes. The colors blue, red, and navy blue now dominate the logo.
1997 - 2001
In keeping up with the latest fashion trends, the Pistons changed their team colors to teal, black, yellow, and red during the summer of 1996. The new logo features a horse’s head and flaming mane, representing “horsepower,” holding consistent with Detroit’s automotive theme. A wordmark “PISTONS” in white with black and teal trim and “DETROIT” in white at the bottom.
1979 - 1996
The following design of the basketball logo for the Pistons changed the basketball to a solid red with a white outline—the wordmark “DETROIT PISTONS” in white and in the center of the basketball. The red basketball is enclosed with a blue ring.
1976 - 1978
The Pistons altered the basketball logo in 1976, the outline of the basketball is now a thicker blue outline, and the font or lettering is solid red. The wordmark “DETROIT PISTONS” and “NBA” are below in red.
1972 - 1975
Wordmark “DETROIT PISTONS” in the red outline on a white ball with a blue outline.
1969 - 1975
A wordmark “DETROIT PISTONS” in red lettering with a red rectangle below containing “BASKETBALL CLUB and NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSN.” in white, all placed upon a blue and white basketball.
1958 - 1968
A wordmark “DETROIT PISTONS” in red lettering with a blue rectangle below containing “BASKETBALL CLUB and NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSN.” in white, all placed upon a blue and white basketball.
1948 - 1957
A new redesign of the animated piston basketball player dribbling a brown basketball. The grey basketball player has “Z” on his chest in red.
1941 - 1947
The Piston’s first logo was an animated character running and going up for a layup, built entirely from the automotive components or pistons all in the color red.