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On Saturday, Detroit Pistons fans were forced to come to terms with the end of an era, as The Palace of Auburn Hills was imploded in order to make room for another project. The Pistons moved to Little Caesars Arena in 2017, so the end has been a long time coming, but it still must be difficult for those that have cherished memories in that building to see it destroyed on video.
Here’s the implosion of The Palace of Auburn Hills. Started at 8 a.m. on the dot and ended in a matter of seconds, leaving a cloud of dust pic.twitter.com/su0q1zrrhy
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) July 11, 2020
Denver Nuggets’ point guard Monte Morris grew up in Flint, Michigan, so it’s no surprise that he wanted to take a moment to express what the building meant to him growing up. In his tweet, he made sure to mention his role model, former Nugget and Denver native Chauncey Billups.
They burnt down the palace of auburn hills I have so many memories from that arena. Seeing @1MrBigShot inspire me to be great!!!
— Monte Morris (@BigGameTae) July 11, 2020
If you think about it, it’s not at all surprising that Morris was inspired by Billups, considering they both play the same position and have a lot of similarities in their game. Unfortunately, the arena where Billups spent his prime years in the NBA no longer exists, but at least the players that he and other Pistons inspired will continue to make their imprint on the game for years to come.