The All-21st Century Team for all Detroit athletes: Who's in the top 20, at Nos. 20-16?
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’ countdown 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 Detroit's All-21st Century Team, Nos. 20-16:
20. Rip Hamilton (Pistons, 2002-11)
Spoiler alert: Only four of the five starters from the “Goin’ to Work” Pistons are on this list. And considering how balanced that team was, it feels strange to suggest any one of them was better than any other.
Hamilton arrived in Detroit with two other Pistons legends – Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince – in the same 2002 offseason; less than two years later, that trio, plus Ben and Rasheed Wallace, brought a championship to the Palace for the first time since 1990.
Occasionally overlooked for his skinny frame and trademark facemask, he became a star two years later as the Pistons were still in the midst of contention. He led the NBA in 3-point percentage (45.8%) in the 2005-06 season, starting off a run of three straight All-Star appearances as part of his 10 seasons with Detroit.
19. Swin Cash (Shock, 2002-07)
Despite departing the Motor City in 2009 (for Tulsa and then Dallas), the Shock lead all Detroit pro teams in 21st-century championships, with three (2003, 2006 and 2008). Actually, that’s more titles than the four pro men's teams have combined to win over the past 25 years.
Cash played a huge role in kicking off that run. The Hall of Fame forward started her pro career in Detroit as the No. 2 overall pick in 2002 and finishing third that season in Rookie of the Year voting. She also finished in the top six in MVP voti ng in 2003 and 2004. She led the team in points per game (16.6), finished second in assists (3.6) and third in rebounds (5.8) during the Shock’s first championship season in 2003.
Her star also spread beyond Detroit, as her career also brought her two NCAA titles at UConn, two Olympic gold medals and four All-Star selections, making her arguably the most accomplished Detroit basketball player of the 21st century.
18. Jared Goff (Lions, 2021-24)
If this list was based on how often you hear an athlete’s name chanted at random places in Detroit, then JA-RED GOFF! would take the top spot.
In Detroit, Goff evolved past the “system quarterback” tag he was saddled with in Los Angeles, becoming a top-five MVP finisher in 2024 while quarterbacking the Lions to a franchise-record 15 regular-season wins. Impressively, Goff’s run of success comes immediately after that of Matthew Stafford, one of the most productive players in franchise history.
Goff has played so well that Freep Lions insider Dave Birkett legitimately had a tough time deciding which QB would get the starting spot on the our All-21st Century Team, eventually settling on Stafford. But it might not be long before he has to reconsider.
17. Tayshaun Prince (Pistons, 2002-13, 2014-15)
Even if Prince’s sole contribution to Detroit sports history was his game-saving block of Reggie Miller in Game 2 of the 2004 Eastern Conference finals with the Pistons, he still might merit a mention on this list. But Prince did so much more.
The 2002 first-round pick made four consecutive NBA All-Defensive second teams from 2004-08, helping anchor one of the strongest defenses in league history. He also played in all 82 regular-season games for six straight seasons (2003-09) and averaged double figures in points in all 12 seasons in Detroit.
Only four players in Pistons history have more regular-season games with the franchise than Prince, while only three – Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer – have put up more regular-season minutes. That’s pretty elite company.
16. Max Scherzer (Tigers, 2010-14)
Most of the athletes on this list are best known for their time spent in Detroit. But not Scherzer, whose peak arguably came with 6½ sparkling years with the Washington Nationals.
Scherzer became a star with the Tigers, however. The righty went 21-3 in his AL Cy Young Award-winning season in 2013 – the most recent 20-win season by a Tigers pitcher (and maybe the last one ever in Detroit). He followed that up with an AL best 18-win season in 2014, pitching over 220 innings and striking out 252 batters for the Tigers' most recent division winner.
His best years (and a World Series trophy) would come with Washington, but at his best, Scherzer was one of the most dominant pitchers in Tigers history.
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.