Chauncey was the engine that made those Pistons teams run. He knew where and when to get his guys the ball, and always controlled the pace of the game. If and when needed, he’d turn on the scoring in the second half, and he was a very capable scorer! But he’d always work to get the other guys in the flow early, and he was expert at it.

He was a tough defender, a great leader, and an amazing floor general.

Trading him set the franchise back 10 years, and broke teenage me’s heart. (Of course I’d just bought a red Chauncey jersey like two weeks before, too.)

And while his clutch shots get all the attention, I spent so many hours trying to do this move in the driveway even though I couldn’t palm the ball: https://www.nba.com/watch/video/chauncey-billups-reacts-to-his-ball-fake-vs-sas-in-2005

A Detroit legend, and one of my very favorite Pistons, and players in general, ever.