It's now official that Online sports betting has launched in the state of Michigan, bringing new found excitement for Detroit sports fans, whose teams are all going through somewhat of a rebuild, hoping to return to glory this decade. Draft Kings, one of the online gambling companies, apparently has made former NBA Detroit Piston Power Forward and World Champion Rick Mahorn their honorary ambassador. As such, I was able to lock down a quick chat with one of the most controversial and hard working centers the game has ever seen.

Controversial in the sense that in the 80's, he was teamed with Bill Laimbeer, another aggressive center, which was the backbone of the Detroit Pistons "Bad Boys" team. The two, along with their teammates which included Dennis Rodman and Isaiah Thomas, took the game and position to a more calculatedly aggressive place. This drew heavy criticism from other players and sports broadcasters, but the game was in a different place and the Bad Boys team was adapting to the change. After many years of going toe to toe with legends like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan, the team captured Back to Back titles in 89 & 90.

Mahorn unfortunately was traded to the 76ers after being picked up my the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Expansion Draft 2 days after the title was won. He would later return in the late 90's for a short run with the Pistons. His legacy still stands, and the controversy that surrounded the Bad Boys team is overshadowed by their hard work, skill, and demand for respect. They were some of the hardest athletes to go up against. I got to chat with Mahorn about the new sports betting in Michigan, his time in the league and what the future holds for the Pistons. Enjoy!

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