LA Lakers Legend Sends Message to Surging Detroit Pistons

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The Detroit Pistons are on the rise, and Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson is taking notice.
Hailing from Michigan, Johnson has kept his eyes on the pro team from his home state and seems to be impressed by the Pistons’ turnaround in 2024-2025. On Monday night, Johnson took to social media to send a message to the Pistons.
via @MagicJohnson: Congratulations to Detroit Pistons Owner Tom Gores, President Trajan Langdon, my Head Coach of the Year JB Bickerstaff, All-Star Cade Cunningham, and the rest of the Pistons players on their amazing turnaround to become the 6th seed in the East. I know the entire state of Michigan is excited for the Pistons! @DetroitPistons
Congratulations to Detroit Pistons Owner Tom Gores, President Trajan Langdon, my Head Coach of the Year JB Bickerstaff, All-Star Cade Cunningham, and the rest of the Pistons players on their amazing turnaround to become the 6th seed in the East. I know the entire state of…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 4, 2025
The Pistons fired up a road trip out West, beginning with the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Facing a rebuilding squad with just 15 wins on the year, the Pistons took care of business with a convincing 134-106 victory.
As Detroit improved to 35-27, the Pistons won their second-straight victory and collected their ninth win in the last 10 games. Having control of the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons are well on their way to making the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and could do it without the Play-In Tournament.

The 2024-2025 NBA season has been quite the jump for the Pistons, who had just 14 wins throughout the 2023-2024 season. After replacing Troy Weaver with Trajan Langdon, replacing Monty Williams with JB Bickerstaff, seeing a jump in progression from players like Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson, and adding veterans such as Malik Beasley, Tobias Harris, and more, the Pistons have turned a corner and went from rebuilders to playoff contenders.
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Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia
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