Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson Dies

Detroit Pistons owner and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame Bill Davidson has died aged 86.

Davidson is credited as being a trailblazer for the NBA. After acquiring the team in 1974 for $6 million, Davidson turned what many then believed to be a dying franchise around into one of the NBA’s most successful team. His innovations include building the first entirely privately funded stadium, and being the first to buy his team their own plane to travel between games.

Despite a valuation of between $300-$450 million, Davidson swore that he would never sell the Pistons, and that the team would be passed down to his family.

Along with a successful business career, Davidson also owned the WNBA’s Detroit Shock, and previously owned the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He was also a noted philanthropist.