Pistons help bring community together to honor forgotten Detroit basketball great

While the Detroit Pistons may not have had the best season on the court, their work off the court in the community continues to be noteworthy.

Whether it's their “Basketball-For-All” campaign or sponsoring community events, the Pistons are consistently working to help the Metro Detroit area.

This weekend, nonprofit NW Goldberg Cares hosted its inaugural free event “Hoopfest” at Curtis Jones Park, which the organization built and opened in 2022. Sponsored by the Pistons, their goal was to celebrate a local basketball icon you may not have heard of.

Curtis Jones graduated from Northwestern High School in Detroit and was one of the city's best high school basketball prospects ever. He had more than enough skill to play in college and was on track to play professional basketball, but never did. His career was derailed by academic issues and he never got a chance to show the world his game. As an adult, he battled addiction and eventually passed away at the age of 50 in 1999.

“Not only are we celebrating the legacy and history of Jones,” said Jordan Yagiela, director of programming at NW Goldberg Cares. “We are providing an opportunity for community members to come out, have fun, have free food, have sneakers, have activities, and just have a big community event.”

The Pistons provided a $5,000 grant to the corporation to help put on this event, and donated a Cade Cunningham signed jersey, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren signed basketballs, 25 pairs of shoes directly from the players, and 25 basketballs for use during the event.

The three-day event carried a busy schedule with everything you can imagine: a H-O-RS-E competition, a 3-on-3 tournament, skill competitions, a youth sneaker giveaway and big names from the community like Detroit rappers Skilla Baby and Sada Baby.

The event concluded Sunday with a celebrity game between Team Skilla Baby and Team Mary Sheffield, the president of Detroit City Council.

The Motor City Cruise, the Pistons' G League affiliate, played a big part in the event.

“We love to showcase what we do for the community,” said Toheeb Bello, account executive of new member development for the Pistons and the Cruise. “Being able to bring basketball to the younger generation, making sure kids are having fun, are tied in and are active.”

While the fun and games are a great time for all, organizers of Hoopfest say the event is all about spreading the word about the park and the legacy of its namesake.

“The big thing is celebrating our community,” Yagiela said. “Showing our neighbors, and people from other neighborhoods this beautiful space.”