According to Examiner.com, “Pizza! Pizza! The owners of the Little Caesars pizza franchise released a statement today that they are interested in buying the Detroit Pistons basketball team. Mike and Marian Ilitch who founded Little Caesars in 1959 already own the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings.”
“‘Marian and I grew up here, we raised our family here and we built our businesses here,’ said 81-year-old Mike Ilitch. ‘Detroit is our home. When I read in the paper there was the chance that this great sports town could lose one of its professional sports franchises, I just didn’t see how we could let that happen. ’ According to the Little Caesars’ website, the Ilitchs became “pioneers in the redevelopment of downtown Detroit in 1987 when they purchased the Fox Theatre building, renovated the theatre and offices, and relocated their Little Caesars world headquarters to downtown Detroit.’”