John Long (basketball player)
A sharpshooting guard whose smooth scoring touch made him a foundational piece of the Detroit Pistons' 'Bad Boys' era before their championships.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American basketball player·Birthday: August 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
John Long was the steady, reliable scorer who helped set the stage for the Detroit Pistons' rise to dominance. A hometown hero from Romulus, Michigan, he starred at the University of Detroit before being drafted by the Pistons in 1978. Long quickly established himself as a model of consistency, a guard with a pure mid-range jumper and a knack for moving without the ball. Alongside fellow draft gems like Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer, he was part of the core that transformed the Pistons from league laughingstock into a perennial playoff force in the 1980s. While the team's infamous 'Bad Boys' identity crystallized after he left, Long's professionalism and scoring punch were essential in the building years. His career spanned 15 seasons, including a later stint back in Detroit where he finally got to experience an NBA Finals in 1990, providing veteran leadership off the bench for the defending champion Pistons.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
John was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When John Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
John's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Averaged over 20 points per game for three consecutive seasons (1980-1983) with the Detroit Pistons.
- Played 10 of his 15 NBA seasons with the Pistons, ranking among the franchise's all-time leaders in points and games played.
- Won an NBA championship as a reserve guard with the Detroit Pistons in 1990.
- Scored 18,822 total points in his professional career across the NBA and in Italy.
Did You Know?
He is the cousin of former NBA player and fellow Detroit Piston Grant Long.
He led the NBA in free-throw percentage during the 1984-85 season, shooting 90.2%.
After his NBA career, he played professionally in Italy for two seasons with Philips Milano.
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