Detroit Pistons superfan Tom Hur arrived to Detroit with a tourists’ list sights to see and restaurants to sample.
Topping the list? Attending the Pistons’ first three home games.
But Hur didn’t expect the entire city to roll out the red carpet for him. The 32-year-old South Korean, who goes by @KoreaPistonsFan on X, was a celebrity during his week in Detroit from Oct. 24-31.
He met Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, numerous former players and hundreds of other fans familiar with his social media.
He received free merchandise from all four of Detroit’s pro sports teams, was welcomed by mayor Mike Duggan and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and gained thousands of followers on social media.
He chronicled his entire journey, including video reviews of some of the city’s most well-known restaurants and visits to its iconic landmarks, online. The NBA’s official X account highlighted his experience in Detroit, as did the Pistons.
Now back home in Seoul, Hur said he’s touched that the city welcomed him as though he were a native Detroiter.
“I didn’t expect a video of me eating wings at Sweetwater Tavern would blow up like that,” Hur told the Free Press on Saturday, Nov. 1, in a phone interview. “I kept recording and posting my full trips and visits to The Fist, the Spirit of Detroit, the Riverwalk and all. People of Detroit started accepting me as their own. I didn’t really expect that.”
Hur’s journey to Pistons fandom is atypical — he grew up a big fan of Tracy McGrady and adopted the Pistons as his own team when the multi-time All-Star signed with them for the 2010-11 season. McGrady’s chapter in Detroit was only a footnote in a 15-year Hall of Fame career, but it produced one of the team’s most dedicated fans anywhere in the world.
Being an NBA fan in South Korea means watching basketball at 8 and 9 a.m., which Hur says he does routinely before clocking in at a bank for work. His first initial visit to Detroit was during the 2023-24 season, where he watched the Pistons lose to the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns during their historic 28-game losing streak.
A breakup with his longtime girlfriend in May prompted his trip to Detroit, he said, joking he no longer had to save money for a wedding.
This time, Hur saw two Pistons wins amid their 4-2 start to the season.
Hur had an outsized presence at the games.
Before tip-off, he did a meet-and-greets near the Meijer entrance at at Little Caesars Arena. He was a frequent presence on the Jumbotron, and was introduced to several Pistons players.
And before the Pistons’ home opener against Boston on Oct. 26, he was treated to a shopping spree at the team store by Pistons owner Tom Gores.
“I think it’s incredible that he’s following us the way he does,” Gores said during his pregame news conference. “Once we found out about him, we wanted to make sure we took care of him. He’s all-in with the Pistons.”
As Hur’s Detroit adventures went viral, other teams joined in. After posting selfies outside of Ford Field and Comerica Park, both the Lions and Tigers reached out and gave him free gear. The Tigers provided merchandise, and the Lions made him a custom Lions jersey with his last name on the back. He also had glass seats for the Red Wings’ six-goal rally against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 25, and was given a free sweatshirt by the team.
Beyond sports, Hur also did a lengthy, diverse tour of Detroit’s restaurants downtown and in neighborhoods.
In seven days, he went to downtown (Sweetwater Tavern, Pegasus Taverna, Buddy’s Pizza, Hudson’s Cafe, Gilly’s Clubhouse, Iggy’s Eggies, both Lafayette and American Coney Island, and Dime Store), midtown (Harry’s Grill, Michigan & Trumbull), southwest Detroit (Taqueria El Rey, Mexicantown Bakery), Corktown (Batch Brewing, Slows Bar BQ, Batch Brewing, Greendot Stables), off of Jefferson (Atwater Brewing), to Green Lantern Pizza and to Yates Cider Mill in Rochester Hills.
“I wanted to keep a record and make a compilation video of what I ate, where I went, just for my records,” Hur said. “I started getting that reaction from the people of Michigan was really special. It meant a lot, made me so happy and made me feel like I’m a Detroiter. That’s the most special part of this trip.”
His favorite meals were both Detroit-style pizza — Buddy’s, where he had The Detroiter and Super Six Mile, and Michigan & Trumbull, where he had pepperoni.
Hur also went to the Detroit Institute of Arts, Motown Museum, Belle Isle, Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park, John K. King Books and received a tour of the Pistons’ practice facility in New Center.
He crammed in as much as he could during this trip. He can’t wait to return.
“I think Pistons fans kinda knew me before, even before I went to Detroit,” he said. “But people of Detroit who were not even really Pistons fans, they started rooting for my adventures and they were starting to give me comments like how much they appreciate me. And then at the Pistons games, I took selfies with people, met a lot of people, which was really crazy.”
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit rolled out the red carpet for South Korean Pistons superfan Tom Hur
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
