Meet Tom Hur, The Pistons Superfan From Korea Who Endeared Himself To The Heart Of Detroit

DEEEETROIT BASKETBALL.

Pistons superfan Tom Hur has screamed that rallying outcry throughout nan streets of his hometown Seoul, South Korea connected precocious walks location countless times. Just recently, he was capable to outcry those cherished words pinch nan remainder of Little Caesars Arena passim nan Pistons three-game location stand, their first location games of nan 2025-26 campaign.

Hur packed his half-filled suitcase (the different half was reserved for caller Pistons gear, of course) and made nan agelong travel to Detroit from nan different broadside of nan world to watch nan Pistons' location opener against nan Celtics successful person, positive 2 much games against nan Cavaliers and Magic complete nan aforesaid week. When he booked nan trip, he ne'er could person known that 8 life-changing days were to follow.

As a longtime cardinal personnel of nan dedicated societal media faction known arsenic Pistons Twitter, Hur knew nan staples he needed to hit. There's Sweetwater Tavern successful downtown Detroit for their celebrated wings and Buddy's Pizza for immoderate Detroit-style heavy dish. Maybe he could moreover settee nan statement betwixt Lafayette and American Coney Island, nan longtime edifice neighbors and rivals, connected who has nan champion coney dog.

He made his first travel to Detroit successful 2023, but this clip was different.

As he was enjoying Sweetwater’s wings for his first repast successful town, a chap patron approached pinch a mobility he’d perceive galore times complete his stay: “Aren’t you Korea Pistons fan?”

Hur, amended known to immoderate by his @KoreaPistonsFan grip connected X, was recognized for nan first clip arsenic he became a cult leader crossed Detroit. The 2 ended up enjoying wings together and chatting for astir an hr connected each nan metropolis has to offer. Over nan days to come, he would return successful arsenic overmuch of Detroit arsenic he could, uncovering a measurement to do much than galore locals person successful years.

“That was what I astir apt heard nan most, ‘You did much than I did successful my blank years here,’” Hur told Sports Illustrated successful an interview. “Even nan awesome [Pistons broadcaster] Johnny Kane said that to me. I really enjoyed each clip I heard that statement, it was funny.”

That connection is accurate. Over his stay, Hur went to a Red Wings game, took a chopper circuit complete nan city, deed 3 Pistons games, tried each of Detroit’s astir celebrated nutrient spots, took successful immoderate landmark he could find and made a constituent to cheque retired nan town’s nationalist transportation.

He moreover traveled extracurricular nan downtown area to spell to a cider mill, a autumn favourite successful Michigan. “I ne'er moreover heard nan connection cider mill successful my life before,” he said. After his travel to Yates Cider Mill, though, he couldn’t extremity reasoning astir their cider and donuts.

Seeing nan metropolis done Hur’s eyes made his travel easy for Detroiters to love. His societal media accounts grew exponentially complete his stay, moreover drafting nan eyes of each awesome sports franchise and Pistons proprietor Tom Gores himself.

Before nan Pistons’ location opener, he was doing an question and reply pinch CBS Detroit and was told to cheque his emails. During nan interview, Hur received a statement from Gores’s representatives thanking him for his support from crossed nan world and offering a shopping spree to prime retired immoderate he’d for illustration successful nan squad store.

If you needed to cognize really large of a Pistons diehard Hur is, 1 of nan items he picked retired was a bluish Caris LeVert jersey. Try uncovering anyone other pinch that jersey successful Korea.

Over nan three-game location stand, Pistons large man Isaiah Stewart recognized Hur arsenic he watched nan squad lukewarm up from nan court. He sewage to stock moments pinch prima defender Cade Cunningham and president of hoops operations Trajan Langdon, too.

His infectious power and nan existent joyousness he feels for his favourite squad is simply a main logic Hur’s travel and newfound section fame was loved by truthful many. Whether it’s trying a caller food, gathering a Pistons fable for illustration Richard “Rip” Hamilton aliases Lindsey Hunter aliases moreover thing arsenic elemental arsenic a bully time out, he doesn’t return it for granted.

“I’m mostly a personification who really enjoys life,” he said. “I cognize really to bask nan mini things successful life, I would say. When I person awesome nutrient for breakfast, I bask that a lot. When I spell retired and nan upwind is nice, I consciousness happy. It’s benignant of easy to make maine happy, I guess. Small things make maine happy, but nan Pistons are portion of who I am, truthful going to Detroit and really watching games and going astir nan metropolis that I ever admired, that didn’t conscionable make maine happy. That made me, I don’t know, nan happiest Korean successful nan world for that week.”

Hur’s friend-turned-travel guideline Christopher Lau, who happens to beryllium a Detroit-based recreation influencer connected Instagram and YouTube, helped guarantee his pal had nan champion travel possible. He took Hur to immoderate of his must-hit spots and coordinated nan chopper thrust complete Detroit which took them complete Little Caesars Arena. Hur had to fto out a “DEEEETROIT BASKETBALL” arsenic they flew complete nan Pistons and Red Wings’ home, of course.

Tom Hur (@KoreaPistonsFan) enjoying nan Detroit skyline from supra / Photo courtesy of Christopher Lau (@seelautravel connected Instagram and YouTube)

The 2 sewage to cognize each different done societal media. As Hur’s authentic happiness stood retired done his posts and their video calls, Lau yet sewage to spot it firsthand.

“He’s a ace genuine guy,” Lau told SI. “That’s nan 1 point that I really emotion astir him. I noticed it correct erstwhile we first connected a twelvemonth ago, moreover connected socials and we did nan first video telephone and past hanging retired pinch him here, going to Pistons games, moving astir nan spot and moreover conscionable seeing my boy interacting pinch him. He’s conscionable a genuine, happy person.”

Lau was nan 1 who took Hur to Yates and introduced him to nan magic of Michigan cider mills. They picked up Lau’s boy from schoolhouse and headed out, but of course, Hur sewage recognized erstwhile much successful nan process. At nan schoolhouse pickup, 1 of nan different parents spotted Detroit’s caller section personage and couldn’t thief but inquire really his travel was.

That became each excessively communal complete nan unforgettable week. At Pistons games, Hur hosted meetups astatine half clip connected nan concourse for anyone that wanted to opportunity hello. There was a statement to get to him, yet connecting pinch truthful galore of nan folks he interacted pinch connected nan net arsenic he devotedly supported nan Pistons complete nan years. He was correct location successful nan operation during nan franchise’s dreadful years, too.

Now, he gets to support an breathtaking young squad that’s recovered winning ways. The Pistons are disconnected to a 5-2 commencement aft they collapsed done and made nan playoffs past play pursuing an atrocious 14-win year. They took 2 games against nan Knicks earlier they were yet defeated successful nan first round. Their Game 2 triumph complete New York was nan franchise’s first playoff triumph since ‘08 and Hur’s first postseason triumph arsenic a fan. The infinitesimal overwhelmed him pinch joyousness and sparked tears of happiness successful a video that quickly went viral connected X.

The metropolis he’s admired from afar has now embraced him arsenic 1 of their own. His position of Detroit was moreover recognized by politician Mike Duggan and Michigan politician Gretchen Whitmer. The Lions invited him to their game Sunday against nan Vikings, but Hur wasn’t capable to return further clip disconnected from his occupation successful banking to widen his stay. He hopes to return arsenic a full-time resident immoderate time if he tin fig retired a activity visa. A crippled astatine Ford Field is precocious connected his database for his adjacent travel crossed nan globe.

Hur returned to Seoul pinch 2 other suitcases provided by nan Pistons for each his caller gear. It’s ever bully to return location aft a agelong trip, but this clip felt different.

“I was ever eager to yet get home,” he said. “Get backmost to my ain room, get immoderate Korean nutrient and stuff. But this was nan first travel successful my life wherever I didn’t want to spell back. I didn’t want it to end. This was nan first clip successful my life that I knowledgeable that. That was beautiful special.”

Detroit changed Hur’s already joy-filled life. And he whitethorn person conscionable recovered a measurement to make his 2nd location connected nan different broadside of nan world better, too.

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