Tayshaun Prince arrived in the Detroit Pistons without much fanfare. Selected 23rd overall out of Kentucky, few expected anything major from the light-framed small forward. And that seemed accurate early on, during his rookie season, when Rick Carlisle used the 6-foot-9 forward in only 42 of 82 games.
Averaging just 15.4 minutes and 3.3 points per game, many believed Prince wouldn't achieve too much in the "Motor City". However, the playoffs arrived, and Detroit trailed 3–1 to the Orlando Magic in the first round, prompting Carlisle to experiment.
Suddenly, Prince got his chance and became the first player in league history to score more points in the playoffs than in the entire regular season (137 in the season, 141 in the playoffs).
The Pistons ultimately won the series, and in Game 7, Prince was the X-factor with 20 points in 24 minutes. Against all odds, the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite the strong season, Carlisle was fired shortly after and replaced by Larry Brown.
The rest is history, as the following year Detroit won its third NBA championship and, with its elite defense, reminded many of the "Bad Boys" era. Prince stayed 11 seasons with the Pistons before being abruptly traded to the Memphis Grizzlies .
"I was shocked, I was completely shocked. The situation that I had been in in Detroit, I thought I would know something was coming. I was pretty shocked. We played a game in Indiana, 45 minutes before the game and they came and grabbed me off and told me the news, so it was pretty shocking," Prince told ESPN.
"I have a lot left in the tank. People start to write you off when you've had a great career and all the sudden losing starts happening. Then you're not being on TV and nobody is really watching and stuff like that, so I'm not too concerned with trying to prove people wrong. I think that's been part of what I've had to do since before I got to the NBA. I'm not too concerned with trying to prove people wrong, but what I'm trying to do is help this team with what my capabilities are," he added.
The trade took place on January 30, 2013. Even at 33 years old, Prince continued playing his standard all-around role. In the three-team deal, he and Austin Daye went to Memphis, Jose Calderon joined the Pistons, while Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi were sent to the Toronto Raptors . Ed Davis was also part of the trade and ended up in Memphis.
At the time, Gay was considered a star in the making, so many questioned why Memphis would move on from one of the league's most athletic players in exchange for a veteran near the end of his career. But the Grizzlies were building their famed "Grit and Grind" identity, centered on physical, elite defense and Prince still fit that mold.
The result? The Grizzlies finished with the best record in franchise history at 56–26 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time. Even though Prince was no longer at his peak, the locker room clearly needed a veteran presence and he delivered.
As for his peak time in Detroit, the 2004 title is still considered one of the most unlikely championships ever. The Los Angeles Lakers , led by Kobe Bryant , Shaquille O'Neal, Karl Malone, Gary Payton and coached by Phil Jackson, were heavy favorites. But none of that bothered Brown's defensive machine.
That year, Bryant was ready to prove he could lead the Lakers to a title as Finals MVP. Shaq had to deal with one of the league's best defenders in Ben Wallace, but nobody anticipated the defensive masterpiece Prince would put together against No. 8. Jackson certainly didn't expect Prince to bother Bryant the way he did .
"Kobe had a hard time shooting over Prince," Jackson said after Game 1 via the Los Angeles Times. "I thought, individually, that was probably one of the best defensive matchups they had all night."
By the end of the series, Kobe averaged just 22.6 points on a brutal 38.1 percent shooting, including 17.4 percent from deep, while committing 3.6 turnovers per game compared to 4.4 assists.
It was one of the best individual defensive performances anyone had ever put on Bryant. And that was Prince's greatest value – he was never the statistical star, but his impact and effort were often unmatched. Without him, that Pistons era likely wouldn't exist, and he surely deserved a better farewell than the one he received.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
