Troy Weaver has embraced Detroit.
The Detroit Pistons general manager, who lives in the city, admires the landmarks and cultural touchstones that make Detroit a truly iconic American city.
When he was first hired by Pistons owner Tom Gores in 2020 he wanted to create programming to introduce the players to the cultural importance of the city, but COVID restrictions limited those opportunities the first two seasons of his Pistons tenure.
But this season offered an opportunity for Weaver to revisit that goal and he arranged for a tour of several notable sites for the players before training camp. Former NBA standout and Detroit native Jalen Rose led the tour, which included stops at public charter school Jalen Rose Leadership Academy and the Motown Museum.
The trip also included a tour of the legendary St. Cecilia basketball gym on the city’s west side. It’s a place where basketball greats like Rose, Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman, Chris Webber and others played. Nicknamed The Saint, the place has a national reputation alongside other basketball meccas like Rucker Park in New York City and Venice Beach in Los Angeles.
The visit also introduced players the story behind the City Edition jerseys that will be worn six times during the season.
Designed in collaboration with Pistons Creative Director of Innovation and hip-hop star Big Sean, whose childhood in Detroit inspired much of his music, the uniforms honor the gym at Saint Cecilia's. The uniforms are green, matching the gym’s logo, and feature United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), the Pistons’ official jersey patch and exclusive mortgage partner, prominently on the jersey’s left front strap. The shorts are adorned with a replica of The Saint's storied stained-glass window with sport white and blue stripes down the side. On the jersey, the quote inscribed on the court floor at The Saint — Where stars are made, not born — is featured on the jersey, along with Big Sean's signature. A trio of stars on the jersey and shorts also alludes to this message, while symbolizing the Pistons’ three NBA championships.
“Jerseys are dope and they have a lot of history behind them,” Pistons center Isaiah Stewart said. “Going back there with Jalen Rose and hearing the stories that went down in that place, I feel like it's going to be great for us to wear those jerseys and represent the city, represent that place.”
An introduction to Ceciliaville
St. Cecilia Catholic Church was founded in 1921, and in 1967 the parish high school closed and was converted into the recreational center known as Ceciliaville.
That was also the year of the Detroit Riot, and the vision behind the center was the create a safe community hub in the Russell Woods-Nardin Park neighborhood. Under the direction of athletic director Sam Washington Jr., the center attracted thousands of basketball players from southeast Michigan, many of whom went on to become professional basketball players.
“If you were a player in Michigan, you had to play at St. Cecilia,” former Pistons player and Detroit native Earl Cureton told Grantland in 2014.
He told Grantland that even after he made the league, he still would return to play in summer pro-ams.
“It didn’t matter what you had done that season in the league,” he said. “You still had to prove yourself back at The Saint.”
Weaver, who grew up in Baltimore, was attracted to that history and decided it would be a good idea to expose the Pistons to the legendary gym and other historical landmarks.
“I wanted to do it when I first got here, but COVID restrictions (prevented it),” Weaver said. “The idea is to touch landmarks and we'll do it every year for the new players and new employees in taking them to different landmarks.
“For the players that got to see St. Cecilia's and see the rich tradition there, it was exciting. The players really loved it. It's part of the community, a big part of Detroit community.”
In addition to the announcement of the uniforms, JDS Sports – the ownership group behind Five-Star Basketball and SLAM – has pledged a $250,000 grant joining the Detroit Pistons Foundation and the Knight Foundation in Detroit to kickstart the initial construction and renovation of the gym.
The uniform helps tell the story of The Saint, a story that players now know.
“It was wild actually being able to be in the gym and see where so much basketball history has taken place,” Pistons star Cade Cunningham said. “The way that they talk about it's like a proving ground, it's the ground zero, it's the spot to be. Going there, I was able to embrace it. Now that I've been in there, I feel like I'm a little bit more Detroit than what I was before that.”
The City Edition jersey are available for purchase at pistons313shop.com and the Pistons team store at Little Caesars Arena. A portion of the jersey sales to be donated to Ceciliaville.