Pistons to retire Chauncey Billups' jersey

Mr. Big Shot's No. 1 will forever hang from the rafters of the Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Detroit Pistons announced Tuesday that Chauncey Billups' jersey will be retired before Wednesday's game against the Denver Nuggets.

Billups started his career as a journeyman, bouncing between four franchises in his first five seasons before eventually finding a home in Detroit, where he averaged 16.5 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game over eight seasons.

His greatest triumph as a Piston came in 2004, when he led a stacked roster featuring Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince to a title over Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers.

In that series, Billups averaged 21 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from deep to take home Finals MVP honors.

Billups' reign in Detroit came to an end after a blockbuster deal in 2008 sent him to the Nuggets in an ill-fated swap for Allen Iverson. Billups made the best of it by helping the Nuggets to the playoffs while playing second fiddle to Carmelo Anthony, but his career soon tailed off thereafter.