Only one player in NBA history has gone from going undrafted to entering the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Ben Wallace is that player. His career is another reminder that resilience is a key part of success. No team was willing to take a risk and draft him in the 1996 NBA Draft. That didn’t stop him. He believed in himself and found his own path to success.
Ben Wallace’s Early Life and College Basketball Career
Ben Wallace’s life began on September 10, 1974 in the small town of White Hall, Alabama. Wallace had many siblings, being the tenth of his family’s eleven children. Wallace went to Central High School, located in Hayneville, Alabama, and thrived athletically there. He earned all-state honors in football, baseball, and basketball while attending Central High School.
Wallace’s natural athletic skills were clear for everyone to see. He also had a great mentor in the form of Charles Oakley. Oakley is a former NBA player who played nearly 19 seasons in the NBA, mostly with the New York Knicks.
Charles Oakley was the first one to discover that Wallace had college-level potential as a basketball player. Oakley first took note of Wallace at a 1991 basketball camp. Charles Oakley recommended that Ben Wallace attend Virginia Union University, a college that Oakley attended himself from 1981-85.
That basketball camp helped Wallace take the first major step in his basketball career.
Ben Wallace Shows Out In College
Ben Wallace joined Cuyahoga Community College, a college in Cleveland, Ohio. He played college basketball at the junior college level for two years. He demonstrated his defensive acumen by averaging 6.9 blocks and 17.0 rebounds per game. After that, Wallace transferred to Charles Oakley’s former college, Virginia Union University.
This was a step up in competition as Virginia Union competes at the NCAA Division II level. Wallace studied criminal justice while attending Virginia Union. On the court, Wallace put up 13.4 points and 10 rebounds per game with the Virginia Union Panthers.
With Wallace anchoring their defense, the Virginia Union Panthers went 28-3 in the 1996 season. They also made it to the Division II Final Four for the first time since 1992. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s head coaches selected Ben Wallace as part of the All-CIIA First Team that season. Additionally, Wallace earned recognition as a member of the Division II All-American first team. The National Association of Basketball Coaches selected Wallace for this honor.
Ben Wallace’s college career was noteworthy. However, he hadn’t played at a Division I school or participated in the NCAA tournament. Those facts would be major factors in Wallace going undrafted in the 1996 NBA Draft. Many scouts doubted that his game would translate effectively to the NBA level.
Wallace would have to prove them wrong and earn a spot in the NBA another way.
Ben Wallace Goes To Italy Briefly
Italy isn’t known for its professional basketball, but that is where Wallace found himself after going undrafted in 1996. Wallace had a tryout with an Italian team called Viola Reggio Calabria. It didn’t work out.
Wallace only played a single game for the Italian team. That game was against Faber Fabriano in the 1996-97 Italian Basketball Cup. That day on August 26, 1996 saw Wallace play in European professional basketball for the only time in his career.
Ben Wallace Makes it to the NBA
The Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) gave Ben Wallace his first NBA opportunity. However, Wallace only played in 34 games during the Bullets’ 1996-97 season and didn’t get many minutes. Wallace didn’t start a single game for the Bullets during that season.
The Bullets changed their team name to the Wizards in May 1997. Ben Wallace’s role with the team also changed, as he played in 67 games and started 16 of those games. Wallace’s points per game (3.1) and his rebounds per game (4.8) weren’t particularly impressive. However, his 1.1 blocks per game and overall defensive impact made him stand out.
A lockout shortened the 1998-99 NBA season to only 46 games. Wallace nonetheless took advantage of his increase in minutes as he started 16 games that season and had averages of 6 points, 2 blocks, and 8.3 rebounds per game during that shortened season.
Unfortunately, the Wizards missed the playoffs during all three seasons of Wallace’s time with the team.
Wallace Heads to Orlando Via a Trade
The Wizards decided to move on from Ben Wallace and traded him to the Orlando Magic in a deal that included Isaac Austin and multiple other players. Wallace finally became a full-time NBA starter, starting all 81 games he played in the 1999-2000 season. He had a solid season with the Magic, averaging 4.8 points, 1.6 blocks, and 8.2 rebounds per game in his only season in Orlando.
The Magic went 41-41 with Wallace, but missed the playoffs. In the 2000 offseason, the Magic traded Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins to the Detroit Pistons. This was in exchange for Grant Hill, a superstar forward the Magic wanted to acquire.
Wallace Rises to Prominence in the Motor City
Given Hill’s reputation as an NBA superstar at the time of the trade involving Ben Wallace, many observers thought that it was a one-sided trade that heavily favored the Orlando Magic. They didn’t know what was about to come, though. Wallace had his best season up to that point in his 2000-01 season with the Pistons, with averages of 6.4 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game.
Ben Wallace ranked second in rebounds per game and tenth in terms of blocks per game in the 2000-01 NBA season. However, the Pistons finished the season with a poor 32-50 record and missed the playoffs.
Wallace did not yet get the chance to show what he was capable of in the NBA playoffs.
He improved even more in his second season with the Pistons, the 2001-02 season, averaging 7.6 points, an NBA-best 13 rebounds, and NBA-best 3.5 blocks per game. As a result of leading the league in blocks and rebounds, Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year. Naturally, Wallace was also named to the All-Defensive First Team and he even earned All-NBA Third Team honors.
Wallace Makes the Playoffs for the First Time
His outstanding defense helped the Pistons win 50 games in the 2001-02 season and make the playoffs as the best team in the NBA’s Central Division. The Pistons eliminated the Raptors in the first round, winning the series 3-2 (back when first-round series were best-of-five instead of best-of-seven). Wallace had 19 points and 20 rebounds in his first-ever playoff game, grabbing at least 20 rebounds or more twice more during the Pistons 2001-02 playoff run.
However, the Boston Celtics, led by Paul Pierce, eliminated the Pistons in the second round. The Pistons won the first game of the series but the Celtics won the next four and won the series 4-1.
In the next season, the 2002-03 season, the Pistons won 50 games and were the best team in the Central Division once again. Wallace helped the Pistons overcome a 3-1 deficit in their first-round series against the Orlando Magic as they prevailed in seven games. Wallace contributed to the Pistons eliminating the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the second round of the playoffs.
The Pistons made the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals, but the New Jersey Nets, the reigning Eastern Conference champions, swept them. Individually, Wallace performed quite well in the 2003 playoffs, averaging 16.3 rebounds per game and grabbing 20 or more rebounds a total of 4 times.
Wallace Helps the Pistons Shock the Basketball World
The 2003-04 NBA season would be a memorable one for Wallace and the Detroit Pistons. Wallace averaged 9.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game as he earned another selection to the All-NBA Defensive First Team and his second selection to the All-NBA Second Team. Wallace would miss out on winning Defensive Player of the Year for a third straight season as Ron Artest won the award.
The Pistons also hired a new head coach, Larry Brown, and made a significant trade in the 2003-04 season to acquire Rasheed Wallace, a star power forward with a controversy-filled past at that point. Rasheed Wallace brought the scoring and defense that the Pistons needed at power forward.
After finishing the 2003-04 regular season with a 54-28 record, the Pistons eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. The second round saw the Pistons rematch the New Jersey Nets.
The Pistons took a 2-0 series lead, but the Nets fought back and won three straight games to make it a 3-2 series in their favor. Facing a do-or-die Game 6 in New Jersey, the Pistons won Game 6 81-75 to force a Game 7 in Detroit. Wallace grabbed 20 rebounds in the Pistons’ Game 6 win on the road.
The Pistons dominated the Nets in Game 7, beating them 90-69 in Detroit to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The competition would only become even more challenging in the Conference Finals. The Indiana Pacers, led by 2004 Defensive Player of the Year Ron Artest, awaited the Pistons in that round.
The 2004 Eastern Conference Finals were competitive, but the Pistons won a close Game 6 69-65 and advanced to the 2004 NBA Finals. Wallace had a double-double, 12 points and 16 rebounds, in the series-clinching Game 6 victory.
Ben Wallace Helps the Pistons Make the NBA Finals
This marked the Pistons’ first appearance in the NBA Finals since the ‘Bad Boys’ Pistons with Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, and Isiah Thomas had won the 1990 NBA championship. The Pistons would face the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers, who had won three NBA titles in the past five seasons and included the superstar duo of center Shaquille O’Neal and all-time great shooting guard Kobe Bryant.
Many expected the Lakers to sweep the Pistons, but those people had written off the Pistons too early. The 2004 NBA Finals would mark the end of an era in NBA basketball and shock the basketball world.
Ben Wallace Helps the Pistons Win the 2004 NBA Championship
Immediately, it became clear to all that the Pistons had no plans of rolling over and letting the Lakers win another championship. The Pistons dominated Game 1 of the Finals, winning 87-75 in Los Angeles to take a 1-0 series lead. Pistons head coach Larry Brown knew about the feud between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal and devised a smart strategy to take advantage of that discord.
The Pistons’ Masterplan
The Pistons let O’Neal play one-on-one, well aware that they could not stop O’Neal by doing so. As a result, the Lakers would naturally feed the ball to their superstar center. This meant that Bryant wouldn’t get many touches and would disrupt the Lakers’ offense by forcing the issue whenever he did. Bryant did average 22.6 points in the 2004 NBA Finals, but shot an abysmal 38% from the field while doing so.
Even so, the Lakers tied the series 1-1 thanks to the late-game heroics of their superstars Bryant and O’Neal, winning Game 2 99-90. However, the Pistons regained their series lead in dominant fashion, blowing out the Lakers 88-68 in Game 3. The Pistons took full control of the 2004 Finals with an 88-80 Game 4 win at home. O’Neal had 36 points and 20 rebounds in that game, but Bryant only scored 20 points on 8-25 shooting in Game 4.
The Pistons Become NBA Champions Once Again
The Pistons entered Game 5 with a chance to win the championship on their home floor. Wallace scored 18 points and grabbed 20 rebounds as the Pistons won Game 5 100-87 and won the 2004 NBA championship. Despite early predictions that the Pistons might not win a game in the 2004 NBA Finals, it was in fact the Lakers who only avoided a Finals sweep with late-game heroics in Game 2.
Ben Wallace was now an NBA champion, in addition to his growing list of other achievements. He had held his own against O’Neal, even if the statistics might not indicate that. Eight years after going undrafted in 1996, Wallace had proven to everyone that he was an NBA star.
Naturally, the Pistons intended on repeating as NBA champions in the 2004-05 season. However, one of the most infamous brawls in NBA history would disrupt their plans to do so.
Wallace Wins More Awards But Gets Involved in the Infamous “Malice at the Palace” Incident
The 2004-05 NBA season saw Ben Wallace win Defensive Player of the Year for the third time, in addition to being named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team and All-NBA Third Team once more. Wallace averaged 9.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game in the 2004-05 season.
However, Ben Wallace also got involved in a brawl with Indiana Pacers big man Ron Artest on November 19, 2004. This was the infamous ‘Malice at the Palace’ incident. Wallace received a six-game suspension as a result. Still, the Pistons won 54 games again and made it to the NBA playoffs.
Wallace Helps the Pistons Make it to the 2005 NBA Finals
The Pistons easily beat the 76ers in the first round before overcoming their rivals, the Pacers, in the second round. The Miami Heat had experienced a resurgence after Dwyane Wade’s rise to NBA stardom and the Heat’s acquisition of former Lakers superstar Shaquille O’Neal. The Pistons won a competitive seven-game series as Wallace did well defending O’Neal once again.
The Pistons faced the San Antonio Spurs in the 2005 NBA Finals. The Spurs’ superstar power forward Tim Duncan and other players such as Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili led a Spurs team that included other notable players such as Bruce Bowen and former Lakers player Robert Horry.
The 2005 NBA Finals saw the Pistons and the Spurs battle it out over seven games. The Spurs won Game 5 by one point, but the Pistons forced a Game 7 by winning Game 6 in San Antonio. However, the Pistons could not stop Tim Duncan and the rest of the Spurs’ offense.
The Spurs won Game 7 81-74 and won their third championship in franchise history. The Pistons had fallen at the final hurdle. However, Wallace and the rest of the Pistons were determined to win another championship before their title window closed.
Ben Wallace Reaches the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals with the Pistons
Ben Wallace had another great season with the Pistons in the 2005-06 season, winning Defensive Player of the Year again and being named to the All-Defensive First Team for the fifth consecutive season. Wallace was also named to the All-NBA Third Team for the second and final time of his career. Wallace earned his fourth consecutive All-Star selection as well.
The Pistons dominated the 2005-06 regular season, winning 64 games and earning the number-one seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons easily beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round before defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, including All-Star forward LeBron James, in a competitive seven-game series. The 2006 Eastern Conference Finals featured a rematch between the Pistons and the Heat.
The Heat had made significant changes to their roster in the 2005 offseason. The Pistons could not stop Dwyane Wade, whose offensive play helped the Heat win the series 4-2. The Heat went on to win the 2006 NBA championship after overcoming an 0-2 series deficit against the Dallas Mavericks, largely thanks to sheer offensive dominance by Wade in the 2006 Finals.
Wallace had shown some signs of regression in the 2006 playoffs, with his averages dipping to 4.7 points, 1.2 blocks, and 10.5 rebounds per game in the Pistons’ 2006 playoff run. Additionally, he also had an altercation with Pistons head coach Flip Saunders in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals and was benched for the entire fourth quarter of that game.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Wallace chose to test out free agency in the 2006 offseason and signed with the Chicago Bulls. It was the end of an era for the Detroit Pistons.
Ben Wallace Arrives in Chicago
After agreeing to sign with the Bulls on a four-year, $60 million contract, Ben Wallace averaged 10.7 rebounds and two blocks per game in the 2006-07 NBA season. Wallace helped the Bulls win 49 games and make the 2007 playoffs. The Bulls shockingly swept the Miami Heat, the defending champions, in the first round.
The Heat had dealt with Dwyane Wade missing games due to injuries all season long and the Bulls proved too much for the aging Heat. The Bulls then faced Wallace’s former team, the Pistons, in round two of the playoffs. The Pistons took a 3-0 lead after dominating the first three games of the series, ultimately eliminating the Bulls in six games.
Wallace posted averages of 8.7 points and 9.5 rebounds in the 2007 playoffs.
Wallace Is Traded to Cleveland
The Bulls regressed in the following 2007-08 season, going 9-16 prior to head coach Scott Skiles being fired. The Bulls traded Ben Wallace to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2007-08 season. This ended a two-year stint with the Bulls that had seen Wallace deal with a variety of knee injuries. Wallace’s averages with the Bulls were 5.7 points, 2 blocks, 1.9 assists, and 9.7 rebounds per game.
His time with the Bulls had been difficult, but now he was joining a Cavaliers team that had just made it to the 2007 NBA Finals.
Wallace Makes An Impact on the Cavaliers
Wallace started at power forward for the Cavaliers, putting up averages of 4.2 points, 1.7 blocks, and 7.4 rebounds per game. With him on the team, the Cavaliers’ defense improved to ninth-best in the NBA for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. The Cavaliers had a 102.1 defensive rating and held opponents to 87.8 points per game in the 2008 playoffs.
The Cavaliers had the best defensive rating and held opponents to the fewest amount of points per game out of any team in the 2008 playoffs. Even so, the Celtics beat the Cavaliers in seven games before eventually winning the 2008 NBA championship. The Cavaliers traded Ben Wallace to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for his former for Shaquille O’Neal. Wallace would never play a game for the Phoenix Suns, however.
The Suns bought out Wallace’s contract to avoid more luxury tax payments. Ben Wallace would instead return to the Pistons for his final years in the NBA.
Wallace Finishes His Career with the Pistons and Receives Well-Deserved Recognition
Wallace signed a one-year contract with the Pistons in 2009. In the following offseason, the Pistons signed Wallace to a two-year contract to keep him with the team through the 2011-12 NBA season. Ben Wallace surpassed 10,000 career rebounds during a game against the Orlando Magic on November 30, 2010. Wallace became the 34th player in the history of the NBA to earn that achievement.
Wallace played his 1,000th NBA game on December 22, 2010, in a game against the Toronto Raptors. He’d make more NBA history by playing his 1,055th game on February 24th, 2012. In doing so, Wallace surpassed Avery Johnson’s record for the most NBA games played by an undrafted player.
The Pistons retired Ben Wallace’s #3 jersey on January 26th, 2016. In 2021, Ben Wallace was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Wallace’s Personal Life
Wallace has a daughter named Bailey and two sons, Bryce and Ben Junior, with his wife Chanda. He has had a few run-ins with law enforcement, namely a year of probation in 2011 after being charged with carrying a concealed weapon and DWI. Wallace also had to serve two days in jail after he pled guilty to leaving an accident scene on February 8th, 2014.
Career After Retiring
Since 2021, Wallace has worked as a team engagement and basketball operations advisor for his former team, the Detroit Pistons.
An Inspiration To All
Ben Wallace’s story is an example of what someone can achieve through determination, hard work, and some help from people willing to give you a chance. In 1996, no one would have predicted that Ben Wallace would become a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
He defied expectations and achieved his greatness by earning his opportunities and seizing them. His determination is an inspiring tale to anyone who may feel that all of their hard work may come to nothing. No one can achieve anything great without first overcoming adversity. Ben Wallace’s life is proof of that.