NBA puts Detroit Pistons in national spotlight with 2025-26 schedule
Omari reacts Aug. 14, 2025, to the NBA’s release of the Detroit Pistons’ schedule for the 2025-26 season. Hello Peacock and Prime, goodbye TNT.
For the Simmerson sisters, the Detroit Pistons run through their blood, even if they fell in love with the game for different reasons.
“I grew up playing basketball,” said Samantha Simmerson, 32, of Ferndale. “Since early elementary age, up through AAU, I played at a competitive level.”
Simmerson, who often sported her Chauncey Billups jersey through her formative years, loved the sport so much, she came home to metro Detroit after attending Michigan State in 2015, to coach for her alma mater, Sterling Heights Stevenson.
“I’ve always had a strong connection to the sport. I loved playing and watching at a high competitive level,” Simmerson said.
For her sister, Alexandra Simmerson, 35, of Ferndale, basketball didn’t interest her as much as the Pistons dancers did growing up.
“I actually wasn’t a huge sports fan when I was younger. I grew up taking dance lessons and was a huge fan of the Automotion dance team,” Alexandra Simmerson said.
The Automotion, the former nickname of the Detroit Pistons Dancers included a few of Alexandra Simmerson’s dance instructors when she was a kid.
She says she always thought the longtime dancers were impressive, as their performances have electrified Detroit crowds since the 80s, when they were the Classy Chassis.
“I’m biased but I would say the Pistons dancers definitely have the best choreography and vibes across the league,” Alexandra Simmerson said.
The sisters have been season ticket holders since 2020 and both agreed that going to the Pistons games recently has been exciting and reminds them of their childhood.
“I think we both agree the playoff energy this past season has been palpable at Little Caesars Arena. I love how the league and fans across the country have taken notice of the Pistons and Detroit,” said Alexandra Simmerson.
This past season the Pistons accomplished one of the most dramatic single-season turnarounds in NBA history, going 44-36 after a franchise-worst 14-68 the previous year, snapping a 17-year drought without a playoff win.
Although the team lost to the New York Knicks after a Game 6 series-winning 3-pointer by Jalen Brunson with 4.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter, winning the game 116-113, the current Pistons have the sisters excited to build on an impressive turnaround.
“The style of basketball that we’re playing, emphasizing defense, playing hard and having a Bad Boy mentality has us both excited about the team we have,” Samantha Simmerson said.
The current iteration of the Pistons have drawn comparisons to the Bad Boys and the “Goin to Work era,” both who won championships in 1989, 1990 and 2004.
The Simmerson sisters love for the Pistons extends beyond the game however, as they both noted the organization does a great job of incorporating the city outside of the white lines.
Whether it’s philanthropic work across the city or incorporating local and cultural elements into in-game performances, no one does it like the Pistons, they say.
“I think the franchise has really tapped into the authenticity of the city, which makes it a lot of fun for fans like us,” Samantha Simmerson said.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.