Mike Illitch Purchases The Detroit Pistons

Mike Illitch, owner of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers has just purchased the Detroit Pistons from owner Karen Davidson. Mike Illitch is known for his Little Caesar's pizza empire which he started in 1959. He has expressed interest in the Detroit Pistons for the past few months as owner Karen Davidson has been trying to sell the team after she inherited the team from her late husband Bill Davidson. Detroiters will be quite happy with the purchase due to the fact that there were rumors floating around that Ms. Davidson would sell the team to an out-of-state group. Las Vegas was rumored to be a possible destination for the team. The purchase by Mike Illitch ensures that the Pistons will remain in Detroit. There has been talks prior to the sale that Mike Illitch was looking to buy the Pistons, move them downtown Detroit, and built a new state-of-the-art arena for his Red Wings and the Pistons to share. Mike Illitch currently owns a good portion of downtown real estate including the famous Fox Theater already. Joe Louis Arena is the current home to the Detroit Red Wings as the team played its first game in 1979. The Joe Louis Arena is one of the older, though more historic venues in the NHL. The Pistons currently play in the Palace of Auburn Hills, which opened in 1988, is located about 30 miles north of Downtown Detroit where his Red Wings and Tigers currently play. Mike Illitch's purchase of the Pistons should help as he tries to convince the city to aid him in building a new arena for his teams.