The Detroit Pistons are back in the NBA playoffs for the second consecutive season and the fourth time under owner Tom Gores.
Gores is the founder and CEO of California-based private equity firm Platinum Equity. He purchased a 51% stake in the Pistons in 2011 and acquired the remaining 49% in 2015.
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The majority of Gores’ tenure as Pistons owner has been marked by mediocrity, with the team falling to a franchise-low 14-win season in 2023-24. However, the Pistons have turned it around the past two seasons.
Detroit experienced a 30-win improvement between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, making the playoffs in 2025 for the first time in six years before bowing out to the 3-seed New York Knicks in six games.
This year, the Pistons improved to a 60-22 record, finishing as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and coming into the postseason with homecourt advantage guaranteed through the first three rounds.
The Pistons have also experienced some major changes off the court, as well, under Gores’ leadership.
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The franchise moved from the suburbs in Auburn Hills into Little Caesars Arena for the 2017-18 season, playing in the city of the Detroit full-time for the first time since 1978. Gores also opened The Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center in 2019, establishing a new headquarters and training center for the Pistons in the city. Gores is also part of an ownership group that has successfully secured a WNBA franchise coming to Detroit in 2028.
Last year brought the Pistons the first two playoff wins with Gores as the owner. This season, the Pistons are hoping to get their first series win under Gores, and maybe even a championship trophy.
Here’s what else you need to know about the Pistons’ owner.
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Who is the Pistons owner?
Tom Gores, who purchased the Pistons in 2011.
Gores was born on July 31, 1964, in Nazareth, Israel. His family moved to Genesee Township, Michigan (outside of Flint) when Gores was a child. His father is Greek and mother is Lebanese.
Where did Tom Gores go to college?
Gores graduated from Michigan State University in 1986.
Gores founded the private equity firm Platinum Equity in 1995 and soon turned it into a multi-billion dollar business. He is worth an estimated $10.1 billion, according to Forbes.
When did Tom Gores buy the Pistons?
Gores bought a 51% stake in the Pistons in 2011, with his company Platinum Equity owning the other 49% of the team.
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In 2015, Gores bought the remaining 49% stake from Platinum Equity, making him the sole owner of the Pistons. He is the fourth primary owner in franchise history, after Fred Zollner (1941-74), Bill Davidson (1975-2009), his wife Karen Davidson (2010-11) and Gores.
Pistons record under Tom Gores
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores watches during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
The Pistons have a regular-season record of 474-714 (.399) under Gores’ stewardship. The Pistons just finished with the best regular-season record under Gores in 2025-26 (60-22), while their worst season came in 2023-24 (14-68) – worst in franchise history.
The Pistons have made the playoffs four times under Gores.
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No. 8 seed in the 2015-16 season, lost 4-0 to Cleveland in first round.
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No. 8 seed in the 2018-19 season, lost 4-0 to Milwaukee in first round.
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No. 6 seed in the 2024-25 season, lost 4-2 to New York in first round.
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No. 1 seed in the 2025-26 season, TBD.
The Pistons have not won a home playoff game since 2008, losing an NBA-record 10 in a row. They are 0-7 since Gores bought the team.
Tom Gores other teams
Gores leads an ownership group that operates Detroit’s unnamed WNBA expansion franchise. The former Detroit Shock, now playing as the Dallas Wings, won three WNBA titles in Detroit (2003, 2006 and 2008) before moving to Tulsa in 2009.
Gores is also a part-owner of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers after purchasing a 27% stake in the team in 2024. He has also been connected to the potential sale of MLB’s San Diego Padres, though the team has not yet been sold.
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Tom Gores controversies
Gores was named in a 2024 lawsuit in St. Clair County in Michigan. Gores’ Platinum Equity owns Securus, a telecommunications system used at jail sites accused of inflating prices for inmate phone calls.
Gores has faced significant criticism from criminal justice reform advocates, with some pushing for him to sell the Pistons. His company bought Securus in 2017, joining a $1.2 billion prison telecom industry that makes its money from incarcerated people and their families.
In a 2021 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Gores said Platinum Equity purchased Securus because the firm viewed the company as a “sound investment.” He said in 2021 he doesn’t think private companies should run the prison telecom industry.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons owner Tom Gores net worth, NBA record, background
