Rick Mahorn

Derrick Allen Mahorn, born September 21, 1958, in Hartford, CT, played college basketball at Hampton University. In 1980, he graduated from Hampton with a degree in Business Administration. From there, he was drafted 35th overall by the Washington Bullets in the 1980 NBA Draft. He went on to play five seasons for Washington before being traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Mahorn began playing for the Pistons at the start of the 1985-86 season and is most well-known for his years in Detroit. He and the “Bad Boys” took home the 1989 NBA Championship. As dubbed by Piston announcer George Blaha, Mahorn was the “Baddest Bad Boy of them all.” After being picked up by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft, Pistons’ General Manager, Jack McCloskey, tried in vain to trade to get him back. The Wolves wouldn’t have it, and Detroit lost one of its most beloved sports figures. Mahorn, however, did not last long in Minnesota, eventually finding his way to the Philadelphia 76ers and teaming with superstar Charles Barkley to form the top-rebounding duo of “Thump N’ Bump.” Rick later played for the New Jersey Nets before returning to the Pistons in 1996-97 season. He retired in 1999 as a Philadelphia 76er.

In the 1999-2000 season, he joined the CBA as head coach of the Rockford Lightening. He coached the team to the 2000 American Conference Title. He rejoined the NBA the following season as an assistant coach of the Atlanta Hawks. In 2005, he rejoined former teammate, Bill Laimbeer’s coaching staff as an assistant coach of the Detroit Shock. He helped coach the Shock to two WNBA Championships in 2006 and 2008. On June 15, 2009, during the WNBA season, Bill Laimbeer stepped down as coach and Mahorn was officially named head coach of the Shock.