All-21st Century Team for all Detroit pro athletes: Almost to the top 10, at Nos. 15-11!
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 continue our list with Nos. 15-11.
15. Andre Drummond (Pistons, 2012-20)
Drummond played in 599 career games with the Pistons. Only eight of those came in the playoffs.
So while the two-time All-Star center suffered through a string of particularly mediocre Pistons teams, he put up some gaudy stats in the process. Particularly on the boards, where Drummond led the NBA in rebounds in four separate seasons with the Pistons.
He averaged 13.9 rebounds with Detroit – before being dealt to Cleveland in February 2020 – a rate that would have been the eighth best of all time, ahead of rebounding legends like Dennis Rodman (13.1), Moses Malone (12.3), Dwight Howard (11.8) and Charles Barkley (11.7). (He enters the 2025-26 season, with the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 12.1 boards a game for his entire career.) That might not be enough to get him in the Hall of Fame (despite what he believes), but it’s still illustrious company.
14. Cheryl Ford (Shock, 2003-09)
Ford’s WNBA career was relatively short, as the star forward left to play in Europe at 28 years old. But the four-time All-Star, two-time All-WNBA selection and two-time rebounding champion was instrumental in helping the Shock to titles in 2003 (her rookie season), 2006 and 2008.
Ford averaged 10.8 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game in her debut season, winning the 2003 WNBA Rookie of the Year and helping lift the Shock to a comeback victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in the Finals. She led the league in rebounding in 2005 and 2006 as the Shock ran towards their second title, but an ACL injury in 2008 slowed her down as her bright WNBA career wrapped up relatively early.
13. Ndamukong Suh (Lions, 2010-14)
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft immediately brought what the Lions were hoping for, leading the team with 10 sacks and winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in his first year.
And though the rest of Suh’s years weren’t quite as headline-worthy (at least for sacks), Suh still reached three more Pro Bowls and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2010, 2013 and his final season with Detroit in 2014. For his talents, the Miami Dolphins signed him to a six-year, $114 million contract, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time.
But even though he got the bag elsewhere, Suh unquestionably had his best seasons in Honolulu Blue.
12. Cade Cunningham (Pistons, 2021-25)
Cunningham has only been with the Pistons for four seasons, but he already has the potential to be one of the greatest players in franchise history.
He’s already arguably the most physically gifted, as a modern ball-dominant point guard with the ability to score at all three levels. The No. 1 overall pick in 2021 averaged 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game in his first postseason run earlier this spring, capping an All-Star, All-NBA 2024-25 season.
Put simply, Cunningham is the biggest reason why the Pistons are back on the road to title contention. And at just 23 years old, he should have Detroit on a winning path for years to come.
11. Tarik Skubal (Tigers, 2020-25)
The Tigers have featured exceptional pitching throughout their history, but only one Tiger – Denny McLain – has won multiple AL Cy Young awards. Skubal is the favorite to join McLain, and a third Cy Young next season doesn’t seem out of the question.
Those are the kinds of achievements reserved for all-time greats, and as the near-consensus best pitcher in the world right now, Skubal appears locked in on that track. If he can lead the Tigers to their first World Series title since 1984, his legacy in Detroit will be rock-solid — no matter where he finishes his career.
Though we suspect Tigers fans would prefer he stays here for the long haul.
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.