"Pistol" Pete Disellio is a Pawnee resident famous in Pawnee for his last-second dunk in 1992 at a basketball game against Eagleton High.
His dunk clinched a comeback victory for the Pawnee Central Drunken Savages (team mascot name later changed). Ann Perkins says that the game still airs every Friday night on Cable Access. As a middle-aged adult, he finds his reputation burdensome, and struggles with other psychological issues.
Storyline[]
Season Four[]
In "The Comeback Kid", Leslie Knope secures Pete's endorsement, and hopes for him to perform a dunk at her campaign rally ("voting for Leslie is a slam dunk!") However, he initially refuses to perform basketball stunts, because he doesn't want to focus on the past. He asks Leslie and Ann Perkins to refrain from calling him Pistol, preferring Peter.
Ann counsels him throughout the episode in an attempt to convince him to attend the campaign rally and endorse Leslie for City Council. Ann discovers Pete is severely depressed and doesn't think she'll be able to get him to attend the rally. Suddenly, in the middle of the rally, Pete arrives – having sorted out his issues with Ann – and endorses Leslie to the crowd's delight. Pete attempts to dunk, but he immediately slips and breaks his right arm and a few fingers on the ice.
At the end of the episode, Leslie and Ann visit Pete at the hospital to thank him. They ask if there's anything they can do for him. He tells Ann that she could let him take her to dinner. Ann isn't keen, and brushes him off with the lie that she is married. Leslie, immediately counters the lie, leading to an awkward moment.
Season Five[]
When Ann had decided to have a baby, Pete was one of the men she considered as a potential sperm donor. She surreptitiously asked him questions about his family medical history, but Pete saw through the ruse. He expressed annoyance at women in Pawnee trying to obtain his sperm, indicating that he had found himself in this situation in the past.
Season Six[]
When Leslie and Ann were seeking a celebrity endorsement for Sweetums' new sport drink, they approached Pete. Pete refused, not wanting to be known only as a former basketball star. Ann and Leslie tried to convince him to change his mind, but he was steadfast. They later secured an endorsement from Perd Hapley.