1996–97 Detroit Pistons season

The 1996–97 NBA season was the 49th season for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association, and their 40th season in Detroit, Michigan. During the off-season, the Pistons acquired Stacey Augmon and Grant Long from the Atlanta Hawks, and re-signed free agent and former "Bad Boy" Rick Mahorn, who was a member of the championship team that defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1989 NBA Finals. The team also signed three-point specialist Kenny Smith, who won two NBA championships with the Houston Rockets, but was released to free agency in November after nine games.

The Pistons got off to a fast start by winning ten of their first eleven games of the regular season, on their way to a 20–4 start, and later holding a 34–12 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Augmon to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Aaron McKie. Despite their successful start, the Pistons struggled a bit down the stretch posting a 20–16 record for the remainder of the season, losing six of their final nine games. The Pistons finished in third place in the Central Division with a 54–28 record, and earned the #5 seed in the Eastern Conference; this was also the team's first 50-win season since the 1990–91 season, and would be their last until the 2001–02 season.

Grant Hill averaged 21.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Joe Dumars averaged 14.7 points and 4.0 assists per game, and contributed 166 three-point field goals. In addition, Lindsey Hunter showed improvement averaging 14.2 points and 1.6 steals per game, along with 166 three-point field goals, while Otis Thorpe provided the team with 13.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and sixth man Terry Mills contributed 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and led the Pistons with 175 three-point field goals off the bench. Meanwhile, second-year center Theo Ratliff averaged 5.8 points and 1.5 blocks per game, and Long provided with 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Hill, Dumars, and head coach Doug Collins represented the Eastern Conference during the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio; it was also Dumars' sixth and final All-Star appearance. Hill also finished in third place in Most Valuable Player voting behind Karl Malone and Michael Jordan, while Dumars finished tied in sixth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Hunter finished in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting, Mills finished in fourth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Collins finished in fifth place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, the Pistons took a 2–1 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks, but lost the next two games, thus losing the series in five games. Following the season, Thorpe was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies after feuding with Collins during the regular season, while Mills signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat, and Michael Curry signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.

For the season, the Pistons revealed a new primary logo of a flaming horse head, and changed their uniforms replacing blue with teal to their color scheme. The new primary logo and uniforms both remained in use until 2001.