Gmac Cash’s song ““Pistons Won Again†has become the anthem for the 2025-26 Pistons.
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In Detroit, among Pistons fans, there are few things as iconic as the mask. So when Richard “Rip†Hamilton walked through the doors of Ronald Brown Academy, an elementary school in the metro area, he left an impression.
It was the early 2000s, during the peak of Hamilton’s career with the Pistons. Hamilton was known for wearing a plastic protective mask on his face during games to shield his nose, which had already been broken three times. He brought the mask to show students at the Pre-K to Grade 8 school. Some even got to try it on.
Little did he know one of those young students, a 10-year-old boy, would make his own mark with the Pistons some two decades later.
“I thought that was dope,†said Gerald Allen, now 33, of Hamilton’s visit to his school as a youngster.
Allen is better known as rapper Gmac Cash. His “Pistons Won Again†song has become the anthem for the most successful Pistons team since Hamilton’s era.
It’s not uncommon to see fans at Little Caesars Arena dance to his song after wins. And there’s no question which song the Pistons’ social media team will play over its celebratory videos. The song is so popular even Pistons players tell the social media admin to “play the song!â€
Allen has done his best to chronicle the good, bad and hilarious of Detroit through his music for years. He’s written songs about potholes, mosquitoes and the Detroit sign along Interstate 94 near the airport.
Whether it’s a niche skit only locals will understand or a celebration song for Detroit’s sports teams, Allen has had a hand in uniquely representing the city that raised him. To some degree, he feels it’s a special responsibility to shine a positive light on Detroit.
“That was my goal, because Detroit has been represented for the drugs and violence for so long,†Allen told The Athletic. “Even though I come from that, I didn’t want to represent that. We have a lot of other things going on in the city that need to be talked about versus what 1,000 other guys are talking about. I put it in my brain to switch a lane and go a different way, but still bring that Detroit style and swagger with it.
“That’s when I started rapping about stuff going on in Detroit — like the giant slide, the weather, the Detroit sign. Then I started doing sports teams, and it was a blessing after that.â€
Allen recorded the song in January of 2025, after his “Tigers Won Again†and “Lions Won Again†songs, and the Pistons’ social media team quickly took notice.
Grace Andreski, the Pistons’ social media manager, first used Allen’s song on one of the team’s postgame videos in January 2025. Cade Cunningham had just dropped 36 points on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden to guide Detroit to its 21st win of the 2024-25 season.
“It took maybe four or five games for it to catch on,†said Andreski. “The fans liked it, the players walking through started to say, ‘Sing the song.’ So it kind of just grew from there.â€
After every Detroit win, Allen’s song will be on the social media videos and blasting over the in-arena speakers. Each time he sees his song on the Pistons’ account or has a fan recognize him for it, it validates his journey to this point.
“It’s cool seeing all the hard work you put in, all the days you don’t feel like working actually paying off,†Allen said. “It’s good to see that Detroit is rocking with you.â€
As appreciative as he is to work with the Lions and Tigers, Allen, as a former hooper, made sure to note the Pistons’ collaboration holds a special place in his heart. His family, and uncles in particular, have been Pistons fans since the franchise won its first two NBA titles in 1989 and 1990.
They passed the passion down to Allen, who experienced his first championship parade in 2004 when Detroit upset the Los Angeles Lakers. Allen’s memory from that experience is so vivid he still remembers the shirts he and his family were wearing.
“I went down there, we had the ‘Got Ben’ shirts, the ‘Got Rip’ shirts – all of them,†Allen said.
Now, a year and a few months removed from the original video Andreski posted, Allen’s song has become a staple after Pistons wins. And Allen, being just about as Detroit as anyone can get, made the marriage between the song and team even more organic.
Just ask Nathan Brecht, the Pistons’ director of game presentation. You can find him at the scorer’s table for every home game.
“That was the secret sauce we were looking for,†Brecht told The Athletic. “We’re trying to represent the city the best way we possibly can, and also represent our team the best we can.â€
Allen takes pride in his song becoming an anthem for his favorite team over its most successful stretch of basketball since Hamilton visited his school when he was just a kid. He even got to perform it after Detroit beat the Memphis Grizzlies on 313 Day. Those moments further legitimize the hours of work he’s put into his craft.
“I’ll never take it for granted, man,†Allen said. “Having your song playing in an arena, there’s so many people who will never get the chance to experience that.
“But to experience it and see it every other day with us winning so much, it’s a blessing, man.â€
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Hunter Patterson is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Pistons. Before joining the NBA staff, Hunter was an editor on The Athletic’s news desk and provided occasional Sacramento Kings coverage. Prior to The Athletic, he worked for the NBA as a broadcasting assistant. Hunter graduated from Loyola Marymount University and earned his master’s degree in Specialized Journalism at the University of Southern California. Follow Hunter on X @HunterPatterson.
