So when was the last thing you saw a basketball player hammer anything besides a slam-dunk or an unfortunate cameraman?

Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas joined the franchise's head Coach Alvin Gentry and President Tom Wilson in hammering and painting late last month.

No, this wasn't some freakish version of arbitration to end the lockout. The three were renovating a Northwest Detroit home. The event was intended to call attention to the Piston's Home Team partnership with the Fannie Mae Foundation, a nonprofit arm of Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM).

At least National Basketball Association teams are doing something with their spare time during the lockout. Teams across the country have paired with Fannie Mae to revitalize older neighborhoods and provide free home-buying information to the public.

This information is especially important in Detroit, where the rate of home ownership is about 52 percent, far below the national average of 67 percent, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures.

Other partner teams include the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Seattle SuperSonics and Washington Wizards.

Home Team, in its sixth year, is one of the NBA's leading community initiatives.

The Pistons maintain a nonprofit organization called the Pistons-Palace Foundation whose mission is to improve the quality of life in the Detroit tri-county area.

Published: November 11, 1998

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.