The All-21st Century Team for all Detroit athletes: Nos. 25-21
This is the ninth in a 10-part series from the Free Press celebrating the top players and moments over the first 25 years of the 21st century. Go to freep.com/sports to catch up on any you missed, and check back here next Sunday for the final edition.
Welcome to the Free Press’ rundown of the 25 greatest Detroit athletes of the last 25 years!
Whether they’re cult heroes that captured imaginations, legends of the game that brought trophies to the city or superior players on subpar teams, these are the 25 athletes that fans are sure to agree defined Detroit sports in the 21st century.
(Okay, maybe there’ll be a little bit of disagreement).
Read up in depth
Honorable mentions: Plenty of cult faves just missed the top-25 cut.
Nos. 25-21: Individual glory, but few championships.
Nos. 20-16: Two kings and a queen of the Palace.
Nos. 15-11: A Tigers hurler swiftly moving up the ranks.
Nos. 10-6: The Euro Twins and a member of Michigan hoops royalty.
Nos. 5-1: Perfection on the ice — and at the plate.
We're counting down Nos. 25-21:
25. Blake Griffin (Pistons, 2018-21)
Griffin’s time in Detroit was short, as the forward spent parts of four seasons with the Pistons, arriving in January 2018 season and leaving in March 2021. But the former LA Clippers star made the most of his time in Detroit, being one of the franchise’s few bright spots in a near 15-year stretch of mediocrity.
During the 2018-19 season, his only full and healthy season with the team, Griffin averaged a career-high 24.5 points and led the team in assists per game (5.4). He and Andre Drummond (more on him in a bit) led the Pistons to just their second playoff appearance in 10 years, while Griffin, a third-team pick in 2019, was the last of the franchise’s All-NBA selections until Cade Cunningham’s 2025 third-team selection.
Griffin may not have played enough to merit all-time consideration in the team’s history, but his 2018-19 season is arguably the best individual season a Piston has had since the "Goin' to Work" run in the mid-2000s.
24. Jimmy Howard (Red Wings, 2005-20)
Howard doesn’t have the same hardware as many of his former teammates, finishing in the top 10 in Vezina Trophy voting only twice (eighth in 2010, sixth in 2013) and minding the net in only two All-Star Games (2012, 2019). But his longevity makes him a Red Wings mainstay during must of their 25-season playoff streak.
Don’t sleep on his stats, either. Howard has more saves than any goalie in franchise history and also is third in wins (246) and games played (543), behind franchise legends Terry Sawchuck and Chris Osgood on both lists. His career save percentage (.912) is the highest of any Red Wings goalie with more than 200 games played, though he never played a big role on a Stanley Cup-winning team (not appearing in the playoffs during the 2007-08 championship season, his second in the NHL) and had a rough final season, with losses in his final 20 games as a Wing.
23. Curtis Granderson (Tigers, 2004-09)
Granderson’s excellence was often overshadowed by more celebrated teammates, two of whom appear later in this list. But he was still an invaluable player on a perennial contender in the 2010s.
Consider this: Granderson is tied with Miguel Cabrera for the highest single-season bWAR total (7.6, according to Baseball Reference) of any Tigers position player of the last 25 years. That year came in a phenomenal 2007 campaign where Granderson batted .302 and became one of a handful of players all-time with at least 20 doubles (38), triples (23), homers (23) and steals (26, a career high).
You know the last season an MLB player finished the season with at least 23 triples? 1949 … eight years before the Pistons moved from Fort Wayne to Detroit.
22. Dylan Larkin (Red Wings, 2015-25)
Born in Waterford, Michigan, the Red Wings captain has spent virtually his entire hockey career in the metro Detroit area (with his farthest excursions a one-year stint at Michigan, followed by six AHL playoff games with the Grand Rapids Griffins on the other side of the state). And though his time with the Red Wings hasn’t included much team success – their most recent playoff season, 2016, was his rookie campaign – he has risen as the undisputed face of the franchise.
Larkin has recently been a primary offensive force for the Red Wings, scoring at least 30 goals in each of the past four seasons. If he scores another 30 in the upcoming season, he’ll pass Nicklas Lidström to become one of the top 10 goal scorers in franchise history. At not even 30 years old (and signed through the 2030-31 season), Larkin has plenty of time to keep climbing the storied franchise’s decorated leaderboards.
21. Penei Sewell (Lions, 2021-present)
One of the most difficult jobs an NFL offensive lineman has is convincing regular fans how good he is. Sewell hasn’t had that problem in Detroit.
In just four seasons as the Lions star tackle, Sewell has already achieved three Pro Bowl nods and two first-team All-Pro selections, cementing himself as one of the best players on a Super Bowl-caliber squad. He has made casual Lions fans pay attention to the nuances of offensive line play, and when he's not doing that, he has also been involved in several trick plays highlighting his surprising versatility.
In more than one way, Sewell is one of the biggest reasons the Lions have climbed to the NFL's top tier.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com
At the quarter-turn
June 1: Tigers.
June 8: Lions offense and defense.
June 15: MSU basketball.
June 22: U-M basketball.
June 29: MSU football offense and defense.
July 6: U-M football offense and defense.
July 13: Pistons.
July 20: Red Wings.
July 27: The best players.
Aug. 3: The best teams.