Meet Detroit's All-21st Century Team: 25 pro greats for the 2000s
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’ list 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).
Without further ado, here are the 25 athletes (plus some honorable mentions) that have defined Detroit sports in the 21st century:
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.
Honorable mention: Dan Campbell (Lions, 2006-08)
Before he became one of the most popular figures in Detroit sports history, Campbell was a veteran NFL tight end, playing the last three seasons of his nine-year career with Detroit.
Honorable mention: Aidan Hutchinson (Lions, 2022-24)
It may not be long before Hutchinson deserves a place on the big list, but three years with the Lions (plus a strong college career at Michigan) isn’t quite enough time, yet.
Honorable mention: Don Kelly (Tigers, 2009-14)
It’s probably not a stretch to say that Kelly (now managing the Pittsburgh Pirates) created the single biggest cult-like following of any Detroit athlete over the last 25 years.
Honorable mention: Brad Keselowski (NASCAR, 2004-present)
The Detroit-area native has been one of NASCAR’s main figures over the last 20 years, winning 36 races in his NASCAR Cup Series career, plus the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series championship (but never the big one at Michigan International Speedway).
Honorable mention: Darren McCarty (Red Wings, 1993-2004, 2007-09)
A four-time Stanley Cup winner and longtime enforcer for the Red Wings, McCarty is probably best known for his role during Fight Night at The Joe on March 26, 1997.
Honorable mention: Isaiah Stewart (Pistons, 2021-25)
The cult-like status attached to Kelly and McCarty is slowly forming for the man they call "Beef Stew", as well.
25. Blake Griffin (Pistons, 2017-21)
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 mid-2000s.
24. Jimmy Howard (Red Wings, 2005-20)
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.
23. Curtis Granderson (Tigers, 2004-09)
Granderson’s excellence was often overshadowed by more celebrated teammates, two of whom we’ll get to later. But he was still an invaluable player on a perennial contender in the mid-to-late 2000s.
22. Dylan Larkin (Red Wings, 2015-25)
Larkin has recently been a primary offensive force for the Red Wings, scoring at least 30 goals in each of the last 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.
21. Penei Sewell (Lions, 2021-24)
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.
20. Rip Hamilton (Pistons, 2002-11)
Occasionally overlooked for his skinny frame and trademark face mask, Hamilton 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)
The Hall of Fame forward started her pro career in Detroit, finishing third in the 2002 Rookie of the Year vote and getting top-six MVP finishes in 2003 and 2004.
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.
17. Tayshaun Prince (Pistons, 2002-13, 2014-15)
Only four players in Pistons history have played more regular-season games than Prince, while only three have put up more regular-season minutes: Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer.
16. Max Scherzer (Tigers, 2010-14)
Scherzer went 21-3 in his AL Cy Young-winning season in 2013, marking the last 20-win season from a Tigers pitcher (and maybe the last one we will see in Detroit).
15. Andre Drummond (Pistons, 2012-20)
Drummond played in 599 career games with the Pistons, putting up some gaudy stats in the process. Particularly on the boards, where Drummond led the NBA in rebounds in four different seasons with the Pistons.
14. Cheryl Ford (Shock, 2003-09)
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.
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.
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.
11. Tarik Skubal (Tigers, 2020-25)
Only one Tigers pitcher (Denny McLain) has won multiple Cy Young awards while with Detroit. Skubal may add his name to that list this year, and a third Cy Young later on as a Tiger doesn’t seem out of the question.
10. Henrik Zetterberg (Red Wings, 2002-18)
Zetterberg played all 15 of his NHL seasons with the Red Wings, ranking fifth among all Red Wings in points (960) and goals (337), and sixth in games (1,082). He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2008 as Stanley Cup playoffs MVP, en route to the Red Wings' most recent title.
9. Ben Wallace (Pistons, 2000-06, 2009-12)
There are often disagreements when it comes to NBA superlatives, but there can be no denying this assessment: Ben Wallace was the NBA’s best defensive player of the 2000s.
8. Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings, 2001-16)
“The Magic Man” certainly lived up to his reputation as one of the most spectacular players in Red Wings history. Datsyuk was an all-around star for the Red Wings, scoring at least 25 goals in half of his seasons with Detroit and winning the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward in three straight seasons (2007-10).
7. Deanna Nolan (Shock, 2001-09)
Nolan only played nine seasons in the WNBA, all with the Shock, but the five-time WNBA All-Star was still named one of the league’s 20 greatest players in 2016.
6. Matthew Stafford (Lions, 2009-20)
Stafford owns just about every career passing record in franchise history, and it isn’t particularly close. Over 12 seasons in Detroit, Stafford threw for over 45,000 yards, with 282 touchdowns compared to 144 interceptions, and leads all Lions quarterbacks with an average of 273.4 passing yards per game.
5. Justin Verlander (Tigers, 2005-17)
At Verlander's peak, which included AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 2011, there was perhaps no more dominant pitcher to put on a Tigers uniform.
4. Chauncey Billups (Pistons, 2002-08, 2013-14)
Billups made two All-NBA teams, three All-Star teams and two All-Defensive teams while with the Pistons, which represented the most decorated part of the point guard’s Hall of Fame career.
3. Calvin Johnson (Lions, 2007-15)
The six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro was one of the most dominant receivers in NFL history. He made the Pro Bowl in each of the last six years of his career, retiring near the top of his game at the age of 30 in a move reminiscent of Barry Sanders’ sudden retirement in 1999.
2. Nicklas Lidström (Red Wings, 1991-2012)
One of the greatest defensemen of all time, Lidström’s career is overflowing with accomplishments: four Stanley Cups, 11 All-Star games, seven Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe (during the Red Wings’ 2002 Cup run) and the most perfect nickname in hockey history.
1. Miguel Cabrera (Tigers, 2008-23)
Cabrera is just the seventh MLB player to amass 3,000 hits and 500 home runs in his career and has an argument as one of the two greatest hitters of the 21st century, Albert Pujols being his only real competition. As a hitter, he was singular and pure, the definition of a slugger pitchers feared for more than two decades.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepess.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.