McNeese St. unveils Joe Dumars Court to honor Nat Central alum

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KALB) - Natchitoches native Joe Dumars returned to Louisiana Thursday night to be honored at his alma mater McNeese St. as the school unveiled ‘Joe Dumars Court’ to recognize the former Cowboy and NBA Hall of Famer.

Dumars, a Nat Central alum, attended McNeese St. from 1981-85 where he averaged over 22 points per game and was named the 1985 Southland Conference Player of the Year. Dumars would go on the be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons where he would spend the entirety of his career with the Bad Boys.

During his time in the NBA, Dumars was a pivotal piece to his team’s championship success as he was named an All-Star six times, an All-NBA selection three times, a two-time NBA Championship and the 1989 Finals MVP. In 2006, Dumars was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.

“When you’re young, you never think about anything like this,” said Dumars. “To have all your teammates come back, your coaches come back, and support you on a night like this, it’s a special night. I meant every word of that, Hall of Fame, Sportsmanship Award, and this award here of having my name engraved on the floor, those three are in the same bucket for me, they’re a legacy award and I’m really proud of.”

After the ceremony, Dumars said he hopes that recognition like this will inspire future athletes in his hometown to chase the dreams that he once did at this age over 40 years ago.

“I hope it’s motivation and encouragement to all those kids from the area that I’m from in the small town of Natchitoches, Louisiana,” said Dumars. “If you are dedicated and your heart is into it, you can absolutely do it.”

The ceremony took place as McNeese St. faced Dumars former hometown team, Northwestern St.

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